Chuck vs Hollywood
by Costas TT
Summary: Totally AU. Computer Nerd Chuck Bartowski gets a lucrative offer for his latest game to be made into a movie. Sarah Walker is a well known actress offered a leading part. Certain unexpected complications will have a profound effect on both young people.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Hello again! I really have no excuse for disappearing for so long from the Chuck fan fiction scene, but real life got in the way. Otherwise, this first chapter would have been ready a lot earlier. That said, I hope to keep you supplied with regular updates and also catch up on my reading, as I've inevitably fallen behind. All in all, it's good to be back!  
Like always, I make no profit from this. It's all for fun. This disclaimer applies to this and all subsequent chapters. Since the copyright issue is now covered… enjoy!

* * *

**Chuck vs Hollywood**

A blond woman in a black bikini and a sarong was relaxing on a recliner on the pool deck of a cruise ship reading a magazine. Occasionally, she would glance at the kiddy pool and go back to reading her magazine once satisfied that her charge was safe.

"Katie!" A little blond girl, no older than six, ran from the pool to the recliners.

"Hey sweetie, did you enjoy your swim?"

"I did. It was fun. I also played ball with some other kids."

"I know, I saw you," Katie replied, wrapping the girl in a towel and carefully drying her. "Would you like a drink?"

"Yes, thank you. I'm thirsty."

Katie flagged down a passing waiter.

"What can I get you, ma'am?"

"I'd like a Margarita for me and a Shirley Temple for the young lady here," she replied, nodding towards the recliner the girl had just claimed.

"Right away, ma'am."

When the waiter was gone, the little girl pushed her sunglasses up and turned to look at Katie. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, you can ask me anything you want."

"Do you like my daddy?"

The question did not take Katie entirely by surprise. In fact, she'd been expecting it sooner or later. "I do like your daddy."

"Good. He likes you too, you know."

"I know," she confirmed. The waiter arrived with their drinks and they stopped talking just long enough to take a sip.

"Are you going to ask him out on a date?"

Katie smiled. "I would, but I have a feeling he'll ask me out first, as soon as the ship docks. He'll be waiting for us."

"Cool! I love my mommy, but since she and daddy are not together any more, he needs a nice girl to date… And I want you to be that girl."

"I will, sweetie. Now, how about another swim after we finish our drinks?"

"Sure!"

"And… CUT," another voice said. "Great job everyone, that's a wrap. Sarah, Annie, you were fantastic."

The woman and the girl high-fived and then relaxed, continuing to sip their drinks. "It was nice working with you, Annie," Sarah said.

"I enjoyed it very much, too. You are a great actress, Sarah. I want to be just as good when I grow up."

"You will, sweetheart. Trust me."

The director approached them. "OK, now that we're through shooting, the footage will go straight to editing. Sarah, I'll call your agent to arrange for the interview and comments for the extra features to go into the DVD. There's no need to rush things, so we can do this at our leisure."

"Works for me," Sarah said and smiled as Annie slurped the last of her Shirley Temple and ran to her mom, who was waiting nearby. Sarah finished her Margarita, which in fact contained no alcohol, and got up, heading for the section of the cruise ship that had been turned into dressing rooms for the filming. There, she changed into street clothes, said her goodbyes to the film crew and her fellow actors and made her way to the dock where her Porsche Boxster was parked. She was grateful for having finished early. Her parents were expecting her for dinner.

Meanwhile, in another part of LA, a tall, curly haired man was relaxing in his office, playing Call of Duty on his computer. Objectively, he deserved it, for he had just finished writing the complex code for a new computer program for the company he was working for. The picture of tranquility – as tranquil as it can be with gunfire and explosions reverberating from the speakers – was shattered when another man burst into the office.

"Dude! We did it! Do you hear me? We did it!"

"Morgan! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

"What? No! But I have the awesomest of awesome good news! You are the first one besides me who gets to know. Not even Mr. and Mrs. B have been told yet. So, Chuck, are you ready?"

Chuck waited for his heartbeat to slow down to its normal rate. Then he sighed resignedly. "What have you got for me, O Bearded One?"

"Just that we got an official and most lucrative offer."

"An offer for what exactly, Morgan?"

The short man's smile became even wider. "We got an offer for… drum roll… Warrior Angels! They want to make it into a movie! We're talking big bucks here, Chuck. It's gonna be bigger than Doom and Resident Evil!"

"WOW!"

"My sentiments exactly," Morgan agreed. "The game was a runaway hit from day one, but then again you know all about that. And now Hollywood wants to immortalize it on the silver screen. Think about the good publicity for Orion Computers, not to mention the tons of money we'll get for it."

Before Chuck could reply, his desk phone rang. He gave his friend an apologetic smile and answered the call, putting it on speaker. "Chuck Bartowski."

"Come to my office ASAP."

"Right away, Dad." He turned back to Morgan. "Do you think they know?"

"No way. I gave explicit instructions to keep it under wraps until I was done telling you."

"If he doesn't know about the movie offer, then why does he want to see us both?"

"Let's go find out."

Stephen Bartowski's spacious office was just two doors down the hallway from Chuck's. "You wanted to see us, Dad?" Chuck asked after knocking and getting permission to enter.

"Yes, Charles, I wanted to talk to you two."

"We're listening." Chuck and Morgan automatically sat down.

"Mary, would you like to do the honors?" Stephen asked his wife.

"Certainly," she replied with a bright smile. "As you both know, our firm supplies high tech equipment and editing software to the film industry. It's a new venture for the company, but I feel justified in saying that we'll soon see movies made with the help of our products nominated for Academy Awards in the Best Visual Effects category."

"Sure, Mom, we are well aware of the facts. Can you cut to the chase though? I just finished the program I was writing and I want to send it for testing."

"You did? Well done."

"Aces, Charles, you're Aces," his father added.

"Anyway, your father and I were invited to attend the premiere of a movie where our products were used quite extensively. The problem is… we won't be in town that day. This is where you come in. You'll represent Orion Computers in our place. You're both highly placed in the company, so you're the perfect substitutes."

"OK," Chuck agreed. "Which movie are we talking about?"

"Steel Furies," Stephen replied.

Chuck let out a long low whistle. "Steel Furies? The World War Two epic that makes Red Tails pale in comparison, if the trailers are any indication?"

"The one and only," Stephen nodded.

"It's got nominations written all over it," Morgan said. "If anything, the Best Visual Effects award will be ours. Well, not ours per se, but it will be given to the movie."

Chuck's mind was already tuned to practical matters. "When is the premiere?"

"It's on Friday."

"Do you think there is room in the PR budget for a couple of tuxes, Mom?"

"I don't think it'll be a problem, Chuck. I suggest you and Morgan take the rest of the day off and go order your tuxedos."

"Okie-dokie. Come on, little buddy."

Once outside the office, Chuck could barely contain his enthusiasm. "Man, I was counting the days until the movie hit the theaters."

"The fact that not one but two of your favorite actresses, at least one of whom is on your freebie five list, play leading roles has something to do with it, I suppose."

"Can you blame me? Those two are hot, not to mention extremely talented and… real." The two got in the executive elevator and pushed the button for the lobby.

"I guess we'll meet them at the premiere. Who knows, maybe you'll charm them into giving you an autograph."

"You think?" Chuck asked and Morgan shrugged in reply. "We have a problem."

"Define problem, Chuck."

"We got the rest of the day off to go shopping, sure, but do you know _where_ we are supposed to go and order the tuxes?"

"Don't ask me, I never had a need for a tux until now."

"Yeah, me neither. We can always ask Dad."

"Call him already, dude."

"Hang on." He pulled a brand new smartphone from a pocket and hit speed dial. "Hey Dad, it's me. I know it may sound stupid, but…" His father cut him off and he listened, his eyes widening in amazement. "How did you know what I was about to ask you? Never mind, there's no need to answer the question. Thanks for the info. Morgan and I are heading right there now." He turned to Morgan. "He'll send the address straight to the nav systems of our cars."

"We'll take mine," Morgan declared. "By the way, Ellie called while you were locked in the shop. She wants your help about something."

"Again? I think two doctors should have been able to figure out how to work their own home electronics by now."

"I'm just the messenger, man. No need to shoot me. Besides, she'll be tempting you with dinner and, let me tell you, it sounded delicious over the phone."

"Typical Ellie," he muttered, but the tone of his voice belied his words. He loved his sister's cooking and he was getting kind of bored nuking TV dinners in the microwave or taking his meals at the Orion cafeteria. He longed for something home cooked.

They left the tailor's having gotten an assurance that their tuxedos would be ready by Thursday afternoon. And then they drove to Echo Park, where Chuck lived. In fact, his apartment was right next door from his sister's. Her boyfriend, cardiologist and extreme sports buff Dr. Devon Woodcomb MD, greeted them in the courtyard.

"Chuckster, about time you got here, dude. Ellie's freaking out big time in there."

"What's the problem this time?" Chuck asked resignedly.

"We were about to leave for work, so I left my laptop in the study, connected to the charger, while having the wireless file sharing feature active and transferring some stuff to Ellie's computer. By the time we got back home, both computers were on the blink. We have important files from work in there, bro."

"Sounds like you tried to transfer files in a format not supported by the sharing software and it crashed trying to figure out what to do, or maybe something happened to the connections. I'll take a look just to be sure."

The first thing the three men noticed while entering the apartment was the heavenly smell coming from the kitchen. "Evidently, freak outs do not have any effect on Ellie's prowess in the kitchen," Morgan commented.

"It's a means of stress release for her, cooking," Chuck clarified.

"Ah, finally, little brother, you're here." Ellie ran from the kitchen and gave him a big hug. "I hope you can untangle the mess Devon and I made."

"You can relax, sis. The master is in. Where are your laptops?"

"Right where we left them, in the study," Ellie replied.

"OK. Morgan, help them set the table. I'll see what I can do about their computers."

"So, Morgan, how did your day go?" Ellie asked.

"It was fantastic. Chuck finished a new program and it's now being proof tested."

"Awesome," Devon said approvingly.

"We also got to order a tux each."

Ellie eyed him suspiciously. "Chuck was never into tuxedos. What changed?"

"Nothing much… we'll just be filling in for Mr. and Mrs. B at a movie premiere on Friday. That's right, folks, we'll walk the red carpet."

"You'll need dates. Both of you. This is a big event. I'll see which ones of my friends are available on Friday."

"It's not that big a deal, El. We're just going as Orion Computers' representatives and that's how we'll be introduced. It's just good business."

Before Ellie had a chance to reply, Chuck's voice could be heard from the study. "GOT IT!" He rejoined them with a big smile on his face. "Problem solved," he announced smugly.

"What went wrong?" Devon asked.

"You screwed up the file sharing protocols, Captain. In simple terms, you left the file share program open on your desktop computer as well, but you gave it the same identification code as your laptop, so Ellie's computer was confused by getting signals from two sources with the same name, while your computers thought that they were getting signals from themselves. The glitch was due to the outdated version of the software you are using. I updated it, so everything runs smoothly now."

"That was fast, bro."

"For me, it was nothing. Now, I'm starving."

"Take a seat, little brother," Ellie said. "And prepare for your taste buds to be sent to gourmet heaven."

-o-

"So, how did it go, Angel?"

Sarah sipped her pre-dinner cocktail and smiled at her father. "It was the last day of filming. We wrapped it up quickly enough. Let me tell you, the director's idea of shooting the penultimate scene last worked very well. What about you, Dad, how was your day?"

"Nothing much," he replied. "But I was approached with a proposal to appear in a special about popular shows from the eighties and nineties."

"Really? Are you going to?"

"Yes, since it doesn't conflict with my schedule. Other than that, I went shopping for groceries and also read the script for a guest role in a show."

"Jack, come over here and give me a hand with the burgers," his wife called.

"I'll be right there, honey." He turned to his daughter. "Come. You might want to see this."

"See what, Dad?" Sarah allowed him to pull her off the couch and out to the back yard.

"Ta-da!"

"You bought a grill?"

"It's not just a grill, darling. It's the Beast Master 2000."

"You know how I like my burgers," she said.

"Medium rare with extra pickles, I know. You took after me in many respects, this included," her dad said as they approached the grill. Her mom had brought the hot dogs, burgers and other stuff from the kitchen.

"Fire her up, Jack," she said. "As for you, Sarah, I want to hear everything about your week. You've been so busy with this movie, I've barely seen you."

"Well, they are doing the final editing as we speak. Oh, and my agent called. The premiere for the other movie I was in is on Friday. I got invitations for both of you."

"Now you're talking," Jack said happily. "It's been a while since I last took Emma to the movies. Make sure to clear your schedule, honey."

"I wouldn't miss my little girl's movie for the world."

"Speaking of her career, listen to this." He took a clipping of a newspaper article from a pocket and read aloud. "Coming hard on the heels of The Golden Scorpion, Steel Furies confirms Sarah Walker's standing as one of the leading thinking man's action heroines of this generation. She has shown a unique talent of adapting to the requirements of every role, bringing life to the characters she plays in a way that allows the audience to actually feel like they are right there with her."

"Hmm, this was very kind of whoever wrote it, but I don't exactly like being labeled just an action movie actress."

"I don't see why you're complaining, Sarah," Emma mused. "You are getting well paid for your work."

"Yeah, but I want to be in more kinds of films, maybe even in a television show some day."

"Leave it to Sarah to find something to complain about, even though everything's just fine," a new feminine voice said from behind them. It was Sarah's older sister Carina. "Come here, little sis." Sarah found herself pulled into a hug. "With both of us so busy lately, I barely had a chance to see you. And I missed you a lot."

"I missed you too, Carina. I missed you all."

"You girls can talk all you want later. Right now go help your mother with the potato salad and the other stuff. Shoo!"

"Yes Daddy," Sarah and Carina chorused.

-o-

"Everything was fantastic, Ellie. Like always," Chuck said, getting up to help Devon with the dishes.

"Morgan told me about your day and the movie premiere you are going to attend."

"He left out the best part."

"I wanted her to hear it from you, man," Morgan told his best friend.

"Well, tell me," Ellie insisted.

"Fine. We got an offer for a game of mine. It's going to be made into a movie!"

Ellie squealed in joy. Devon clapped Chuck on the back enthusiastically. "That's awesome, bro!"

"Which we still forgot to tell Mom and Dad about," Chuck remembered, wincing from the pain caused by Devon's overenthusiastic back clap.

"Speaking of which, I also left out the best part," Morgan interjected.

"How could you do that, buddy?" Chuck feigned being hurt.

"You'll feel better once I tell you. The production company is so eager to get the rights to turning the game into a movie, that they are willing to give us full oversight and veto power over virtually every aspect of the production. Everything will have to be approved by us: the screenplay, the director, even the leading actors, and of course the special effects."

Chuck smiled. His game wasn't going to end up like House of the Dead. "I believe we can come to an agreement with the producer, once we get the green light from upstairs."

"Naturally," Morgan deadpanned. "As for Mr. and Mrs. B, you can call them once we finish this heavenly dessert."

"Good point."

"Still… it can wait until tomorrow. After all, there's always the night's entertainment, especially since Ellie and the Captain have the day off tomorrow."

"And the entertainment is…"

"The Golden Scorpion," Morgan said, beaming. "I got it brand new on BluRay, in all its high definition glory." He swallowed the last of his cheesecake, got up and brandished the box before going to set up the player.

"Didn't you two see this one at the cinema?" Ellie asked.

"Sis, The Golden Scorpion is one of the finest heist movies ever made."

"I still remember that scene on the bridge when the prison van transporting Rebecca Franco was rammed by…"

"Spoiler alert," Chuck interrupted.

"Right. Well, you'll see what we're talking about."

"OK, dudes, put it on."

"Roger that, Captain," Morgan said, gave him a mock salute and went back to prepping the player. "Chuck, get the popcorn ready."

"I'll get right on it. Ellie, Devon, just make yourselves comfortable. The movie will start in a few minutes. Oh, and tell me what you'd like to drink."

"Grape soda for me, pal," Morgan called.

"In other words, the usual," Chuck laughed. "I brought some over and put it in the fridge."

-o-

"Chuck, I hate to admit it, but you were right. This was a great movie," Ellie said, a little grudgingly, as the end credits began to roll on the TV screen.

"Uh-huh," Chuck said.

"We could use an actress like Sarah Walker in Warrior Angels. She could play the female lead," Morgan piped up.

Chuck thought about it and he started liking the idea more with every passing second. Sarah Walker could make a difference in the movie: not only was she beautiful but a very talented actress as well. There was only one potential fly in the ointment though. "Little buddy, I hate to be the one to dampen your enthusiasm, but inasmuch as I would love to see her in our movie, she may not be available."

Morgan was undaunted. "Well, it won't hurt to ask, right? I'll call the producer first thing in the morning and ask him to look into booking her for the movie. And if all goes well, you may talk to her about it on Friday, in person."

"We'll see. Now, let's help with the dishes and then we can go to my place and play a little Call of Duty."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Thank you all for your overwhelming and heartening response to the first chapter in the form of reviews, favorites and alerts. It is an excellent motivation.

* * *

"Dad, can I talk to you for a sec?"

"Sure, take a seat." Stephen finished reading an email and focused his attention on his son. "I'm listening. It must be important to come to the office bright and early."

"It is. Morgan came to me yesterday with some very good news, just before you called us here to tell us about the movie premiere on Friday."

"Define good news."

Chuck took a deep breath. "A Hollywood studio wants to make Warrior Angels into a movie. They made us a most lucrative offer."

"Aces, Charles, you're Aces. Why didn't you tell us yesterday?"

"Well... with all the talk about Steel Furies it kinda slipped our minds. But now you know. How do you want to proceed?"

"Chuck, you developed the game. It's only fair that you have oversight of the project. Do you have the details of the offer?"

"Sure." He set a folder down on Stephen's desk. "It's all in here."

"Your mother and I are going to take a look at it later today. But you can take anyone you need to help."

"I'll just need Morgan. All the rest will be taken care of by the producer. Naturally, the film will be made using Orion special effects products."

"Naturally," Stephen echoed, grinning.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Dad."

"You're welcome. I have to sell it to your mother now. You know she's kind of a control freak, right?"

"Dad!"

"Missing the couch again, Stephen?" Mary Bartowski asked from the door. She had apparently heard her husband's last remark. There was no malice in her voice and she was smiling. She knew he meant it in a very positive way. "What do you need to convince me of… this time?"

Stephen gave her the full megawatt version of the Patented Bartowski Charm Smile, just in case. It worked with Mary over 90% of the time. "I want to give Chuck here carte blanche to handle the making of Warrior Angels into a movie as he sees fit."

"We got an offer for that?"

"Yes honey, we did. Care to take a look at the details?"

"You know the answer." She moved to pick up the folder and suddenly found herself on her husband's lap, his arms firmly around her. "Stephen!"

"Sorry babe, I couldn't resist. I never can when it comes to you." He kissed her neck and then, sensing her melt into him, he captured her lips with his.

Chuck beat a quick retreat, leaving his parents alone in the office. He contemplated telling their secretary to hold their calls unless it was something extremely urgent, but in the end just sighed and went back to his own office where Morgan was waiting, half asleep on the couch. The door slamming shut startled the bearded man awake.

"How did it go, Chuck?"

"Dad's OK with us handling the whole affair. Right now he's… um… talking to Mom about it."

"You can say it, bro. He turned the charm full on."

Chuck nodded. "Something like that, yeah."

"Goody," Morgan beamed. A happy Mrs. B was a generous Mrs. B. "By the way, I called the producers and asked them to try and book Walker specifically. They promised to do everything possible."

"Thanks buddy." Chuck moved to his computer and started going through his email inbox.

-o-

It certainly seemed like it was her imagination, or maybe she was dreaming. After all, she'd read a study about people actually being aware that they are asleep and dreaming. She popped one eye open and looked at the alarm clock on the nightstand. It was barely eight in the morning. And the incessant pounding on her door just wouldn't stop.

"SIS, I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE! OPEN UP!" Carina yelled loudly from behind the closed door.

Sarah groaned and kicked the covers off of her. Getting up, she shuffled to the door and opened it. "It better be good," she mumbled sleepily and yawned.

Carina took in her baby sister's appearance, the bed head, the oversized t-shirt and the man's boxer shorts that constituted her sleepwear choice of the week. "Why are you still asleep?"

Sarah glared at her older sister, but the effectiveness of said glare was diminished by the veil of sleep still clouding her blue eyes. "I'm off the clock," she replied simply. "And I'm going back to bed."

"No you're not. You're going to get dressed and then we're going shopping."

"Huh?"

"Sarah!" Carina lightly slapped Sarah's cheeks a few times, to jolt her fully awake.

"Hey! Stop it!"

"Like I said, we are going shopping. You are going to need a dress for the movie premiere on Friday." As she spoke, she moved to the kitchenette and started the coffee maker.

"I have plenty of dresses."

"Please tell me you're kidding!"

"I'm not." *yawn*

"Apparently you don't grasp the public relations aspect of your job."

"Yes I do. You just want to go shopping, but you hate to do it on your own, so you thought it might be a good idea to rope me in. I know you, Carina."

"Still, shopping is fun. What do you say, sis? Are you coming?"

"At least let me have a cup of coffee… or ten."

"Jeez, sis, I'd say that you're addicted to caffeine even more than I am. And I'm a cop, which says a lot."

"Is it wrong to love the taste of coffee? The caffeine kick is just an added benefit." She then excused herself and went to the bathroom.

Laughing and shaking her head, Carina poured two cups, added milk and sugar and handed Sarah one when she returned.

"Here you go."

"Thanks." Sarah took a sip. "Mmmm, heavenly."

"I also brought donuts. And not the diet variety either. Delicious, cream, chocolate and jam filled donuts."

Sarah realized that she was hungry. "Where are you hiding them?"

"Will you go shopping with me?"

"You're despicable."

"Yes or no, Sarah?"

"Yes, dammit! Give me the donuts!"

"Fantastic," Carina gloated. "I know just the place to look for the perfect dress for you. It's a little place near Rodeo Drive. I've bought clothes there on several occasions. You'll love it. Trust me."

"Donuts. Now," Sarah growled.

"They're in the fridge," Carina replied nonchalantly. "I put them there while you were in the bathroom."

The two sisters had their breakfast of coffee and donuts in companionable silence. Afterwards, Carina dragged Sarah to the bedroom and helped her choose what to wear on their shopping trip. They settled on a very comfortable outfit consisting of a blue one piece dress with button-up front and belted at the waist. If anything it was suitable for the mission of clothes shopping, as Sarah could easily take it off to try on dresses and put it back on when she was done.

They were about to leave when Sarah's phone rang. She shot an apologetic smile to her sister and answered it. "Hello." She listened for a second. "It's my agent," she mouthed to Carina. "Yes, I can talk," she continued the conversation. "You got a call today? What is it about and from whom?" Her agent had her undivided attention now. "Tell them I'll consider it. Thanks for calling…. Yes, that would help me make up my mind. Email it to me and I'll get back to you. Again, thank you. See you around."

"Well?" Carina asked, curious about what the agent had told Sarah.

"My agent got a job offer for me."

"I gathered that much. What is it about, exactly? Come on, you can tell me on the way. We'll take my car." With that, she grabbed Sarah by the arm and dragged her to the elevator.

Carina had stopped at a red light and turned to watch her sister fiddle with her cell phone. Sarah noticed it and turned to face her. "What?"

"Don't 'what' me. I'm asking the questions here. Tell me about the job offer you got."

"OK. My agent got a call from a movie producer. They are making a computer game into a movie and apparently my name was the first one that came up for the female lead."

"Are you going to take the part?"

"I don't know… I've never been in a game adaptation before."

"What's the name of the game?"

"Um, it's Warrior Angels, why?"

"We can do some research online when we're done shopping. Maybe it'll be worth it."

"Still… no matter how good the game, the screenplay is what makes the difference. I mean, there are many popular and acclaimed games out there, but not many have been successfully made into movies. I'm in the industry, I know."

Carina smiled. "Nothing like a nice early morning shopping trip to cheer you up. And, like I already said, I know the perfect place."

"I hope it's quiet. I'm not in the mood for dealing with paparazzi and stuff."

"Relax. I have my badge and my gun. Besides, where we're going we are not going to be disturbed." Carina turned her Lotus off Rodeo Drive and soon parked in front of a small boutique. "We're here," she smiled.

The shop owner was a nice middle aged lady, who was very helpful. Eventually, Carina sent Sarah to the changing room with an armful of dresses to try. Emerging with what seemed to her like the hundredth dress she'd tried on, she looked apprehensively at her sister.

"Perfect," Carina said approvingly, admiring the dark green dress that hugged Sarah's form perfectly. "It's just perfect. It's you."

"Do you really mean it?"

"Of course I do, silly." She turned to the owner, who was also looking admiringly at Sarah. "She's going to need matching shoes and a clutch."

"No problem," the woman replied smoothly. "I have everything you need."

A little later, the two sisters left the store, carrying the bags with their purchases. Carina hadn't been able to resist the temptation to get something for herself, too. Not after helping Sarah choose an outfit that would make her look breathtaking at the premiere.

Sarah looked at her watch as she got in the car. "Wow! I never realized how long it took us to pick out the dresses."

"All in a day's work, dear sister," Carina replied and winked at her. "Are you up for a light lunch?"

"I'm not really hungry. I'd rather go home and look at the offer my agent mentioned. Who knows, I might just take it."

"Make sure it won't flush your acting career down the drain first."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that. Kathleen knows better. Every time she has something to recommend, she checks it out very thoroughly first. She's never steered me wrong. And besides, she's known Dad for years. She's his agent too, just in case you are forgetting."

"I'm not forgetting. It's just… I don't know much about the film industry, but game adaptations are kind of hit or miss, if you catch my drift."

"You're right. But it all depends on the screenwriter and the director, as well as the cast. Kathleen said that the game's creator has full oversight of the project, though."

"Hmmm… this can be a good thing or a very bad thing."

"Uh-huh," Sarah agreed.

Suddenly, Carina had a flash of inspiration. "Hey, I know what we can do!" She checked the rear view mirror and turned sharply into the parking lot of a mall. "Come with me!" She proceeded to drag Sarah into an electronics store.

"Carina, what are we doing in a Buy More?"

"You'll see," she replied cryptically. She looked around and spotted a salesperson. "Hi," she smiled sweetly at the man. "Where are the computer games?"

"Aisle four," the green shirt replied, obviously awed by the sight of the two beautiful women.

"Thank you. Come on, Sarah."

"That's your great idea? You want to buy the game?"

"Why the hell not? We might as well have fun while doing our research. Ah, here it is." She picked up a copy of Warrior Angels and looked at the box. "I know the firm. Orion Computers supplies a lot of our equipment."

"Did you just say Orion Computers?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Because they also supply equipment to the film industry. It's all top of the line."

"Then the game can't be half bad. I mean, a company with such an excellent reputation…"

"Fine, buy it and let's go home."

"Hold on, you need speakers for your iPod. You keep putting it off."

"Yeah, well, I have a lot on my plate."

"You're just procrastinating. But now the omission will be rectified."

In short order, they emerged from the Buy More having bought the game and a set of high quality speakers for Sarah's iPod and home entertainment systems – made by Orion, naturally.

Inside the store, the plump manager paused at the doorway to his office. "Did you see those two?" The question was directed to a couple of guys from the IT service section and to his assistant manager.

"Yeah," the three replied in unison.

"I think the blonde was Sarah Walker, the actress," the older of the IT guys remarked.

"Are you sure, Jeff?"

"Pretty much… there is a way to be sure. Let's check the security cam footage."

"Sarah Walker graced my store with her presence," the manager, whose name tag read 'Big Mike', said dreamily. "All I need to make it a perfect day is a Subway sandwich. Emmett, would you like one?"

"Sure, I'd love one," the assistant manager agreed.

"Good. Meanwhile, Jeff and Lester look over the footage. I want screenshots of her for my wall of fame." Michael 'Big Mike' Tucker kept photos of celebrities that had visited his store and displayed them in his office.

"We're on it, Big Mike," Lester replied.

-o-

Chuck and Morgan spent most of the day working on the contract details with the producer for the Warrior Angels movie. It was mostly done over videoconference link, so they didn't have to leave the office.

"Are you sure you want to keep the intro? It's going to be tough," the producer's rep said.

"With our video and audio editing software, it'll be a breeze," Chuck assured him.

"The intro is one of the best features of the game," Morgan pointed out. "We're keeping it. If we leave it out, the fans will nail us, and the movie, to the nearest barn door."

"I'll talk to Mr. Graham about it. I'm pretty sure he'll agree with you, though."

"Of course he will," Chuck smiled.

"By the way, we have contacted Ms. Walker's agent, as per your request. We expect to have an answer soon."

"Hey, we forgot something," Morgan piped up.

"What?" Chuck and the guy from the production company asked in unison.

"The movie will need a director."

"Duh, that's a no brainer," Chuck shrugged. "I can only think of one man for the job: Hartley Winterbottom. He's directed Steel Furies, which premieres this week, he's worked with Orion products successfully and he's a family friend. His daughter co-starred with Sarah Walker in the Golden Scorpion. He even played a small part in the movie. I think he'll jump at the offer if he's available. Could you check that for us?"

"Sure, no problem."

"Drop my name. It'll help him make up his mind."

-o-

Following their shopping trip and a light lunch, Sarah and Carina ended up in the latter's apartment, which was next door from Sarah's. They left their purchases by the couch and then Carina got them each a beer from her fridge.

"I had a good time today," Sarah admitted. "We should do this more often."

"Sure. It reminds me of when we were back in high school." Carina had always taken her role as a big sister seriously. "And even before that, when you weren't even a freshman yet."

"You loved to take me shopping when Mom and Dad were at work, sis."

"I also reminded you to do your homework."

"That one not so much."

"You were always a good student."

"OK, what do we do now?"

"Chillax, Sarah. First we finish our drinks and then we'll look into the game we bought."

"I almost forgot about the game."

"It's research. You know, for the part. What do you say, sis? Shall we give it a try?"

"Let's go to my place," Sarah suggested. "My computer has a nice big screen."

The two took it next door, booted up the computer and diligently followed the instructions for the installation of the game. Then, Sarah adjusted the controls to her convenience, decided to skip the tutorial and started the game.

The initial video sequence had both girls' eyes virtually glued to the screen. The graphics were amazing. It was almost like watching live action, instead of computer generated imagery.

"Whoever did this is very good," Sarah said approvingly.

"And I can understand why they want you for the part. She looks a lot like you," Carina added, referring to one of the game's characters.

"I'll take the job," Sarah declared resolutely. "If anything, I think it's going to be fun… a new experience, too."

-o-

By early evening on Friday, Sarah was frantic. Her dress was ready and waiting for her, but she'd decided to take a nap and overslept. Now, she was picking the lock of Carina's apartment door.

"I should really give you a key, Sarah," Carina said, coming up behind her and causing her to jump noticeably.

"Dammit! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

"Why are you breaking into my place?"

"I need to borrow something. Ah, got it!" The lock clicked open.

"Where did you learn to do that?"

"Research, for the Golden Scorpion," she replied. "The one I played the thief in."

"Grab whatever you need and hustle. You're going to be late for the premiere."

In the end, Sarah managed to apply her makeup and get dressed on time, but she forgot to style her hair. This was fixed easily enough. She put the top of her Porsche down. By the time she arrived at the theater, she'd achieved a natural, and very flattering, windblown look. She used the wait until a valet picked up a gleaming 1966 Mustang, after its occupants exited, to carefully check herself in the rear view mirror. And then it was her turn. She gracefully stepped out of the car, allowing the valet to take it and moved to the red carpet. She was by now used to the cameras and the reporters. She paused for the customary portrait shots and then entered the theater.

It was far quieter than the madhouse outside. Looking casually around, she spotted the director, who was talking to a couple of men. _Finally, a familiar face,_ she thought and made her way over to them. He saw her and smiled widely.

"Sarah, how nice to see you." He gallantly kissed her hand. "You look ravishing tonight."

"Thank you Hartley. You don't look half bad yourself."

"Taking a compliment from a beautiful young lady is music to the ears of an old man like me. But where are my manners? Allow me to introduce you to the son of one of my dearest friends. Sarah, meet Charles Bartowski. Charles, I believe you've heard of Sarah."

"Of course, Ms. Walker," he said. Like Hartley before him, he gallantly kissed her hand. For a moment she was speechless. Sure, Charles was handsome, tall, with curly brown hair. But it was his eyes that totally captivated her. She'd never seen so expressive brown eyes. It was almost like they could see into the depths of her soul.

"Enchanted," he said, bringing her back to reality.

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Bartowski."

"Please, call me Chuck."

"Only if you call me Sarah."

"Deal. By the way, this is my best friend, intrepid coworker and all round troubleshooter Morgan Grimes." Sarah and Morgan shook hands.

"Charles here, and a producer, offered me an exciting job, Sarah," Hartley said after the introductions. "And I took it. I'll be directing Warrior Angels, a game of his that is going to be made into a movie."

"You made Warrior Angels?" Sarah asked Chuck.

"Guilty as charged," he replied.

"I got the offer for a part. I was curious about it, so I bought the game and played it. It was… outstanding… awesome. And I also decided to accept the offer."

"Then I look forward to working with you, Sarah."

"Likewise, Chuck."

"This calls for a small celebration, before the movie we came here to see starts." Hartley flagged down a passing waiter. "Champagne, anyone?"


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** I don't like to keep you waiting for updates, especially considering how generous you all are with your support, so you'll be getting at least one per week. This chapter continues with laying the groundwork and also introduces a key plot element.

* * *

Sarah took a slow sip of her champagne while paying attention to the conversation between Chuck, Morgan and Hartley. It was mostly about technical equipment, but since she'd used it too, she felt qualified to add her own two cents.

"Personally, I think it's going to bring action heavy movies to a whole new level," she said. "When we were filming in Russia, I was told that there were miniature cameras in my parachute harness and flying helmet, disguised as studs. I didn't believe it, until I saw the footage with my own two eyes."

"These cameras were originally developed for law enforcement agencies," Chuck explained. "As it turned out, they have manifold uses."

"Tell me about it. Hartley was able to do the aerial scenes, without having to resort to having to shoot in front of a blue screen on the ground. It added to the authenticity."

"Speaking of authenticity, did you really fly a plane by yourself?" Morgan asked.

"It was easy. I already have a pilot's license, and the plane itself was a dream to fly."

"Sarah's just like Harrison Ford in this respect," Hartley added. And then he noticed someone else arriving. "Ilsa, my dear," he greeted her.

"Hartley," she returned the greeting. "Or should I say 'Comrade Colonel'?"

"She's referring to the part of Colonel Alexei Volkoff, which I played myself. It was a welcome break from all the directing work," Hartley informed Chuck and Morgan. Then he turned to Ilsa. "Hartley is fine. It's my name, after all. Ilsa, I would like to introduce you to two of the people who made the movie technically feasible: Chuck Bartowski and Morgan Grimes. Guys, you've probably recognized Ms. Trinchina."

"Hi," Ilsa smiled.

"Hi," Chuck and Morgan replied. Chuck had heard of Ilsa long before she'd made her first Hollywood movie. He'd seen a couple of Russian films she'd been in, plus some more made in France. "I must say, Ms. Trinchina," he said, "I was eager to see you in a Hollywood film, especially after your success in Europe."

"Ah, so you like European cinema," she said in her slightly accented English.

"The French make mainstream movies comparable to anything Hollywood offers. And Russian cinema is quite excellent, provided we get access to good subtitles."

They all talked for a little longer, mostly about filming techniques, until it was time for the movie to start and they went to claim their seats. It began with a short documentary, containing historical footage and interviews with World War II veterans, including the two women pilots who had inspired Sarah's and Ilsa's parts. By the time the end credits rolled, everyone was certain that the movie would receive multiple Academy Awards nominations. The action scenes were breathtaking, the CGI indistinguishable from live action, the historical context was correct, as were the details, and the character development had not been sidelined.

Later, the valet brought the Mustang Chuck had borrowed from his father just for the event. "You drive, Morgan," he said.

"Are you sure, man? I mean, are you OK?"

"I'm fine. Just drive." They'd gone some distance from the theater when Chuck finally let it all out. "Dude, I can't believe I actually met Sarah Walker!"

"I thought you were really cool with her. How come, by the way?"

"Yeah, you know, Hartley and I got a little carried away with our technical discussion, so I had my business face on. Or was it my Nerd face?"

"Whatever it was, it was a good thing you kept it on even after she arrived."

"Yeah, it would have been embarrassing otherwise." Then another thought struck him like a bolt of lightning. "She said YES! She's going to be in our movie!"

"This calls for a celebration. The night is still young, so… any suggestions?"

"We still have to go to work tomorrow, so let's keep it low-key. Drinks at my place?"

"Anything you say, dude."

-o-

Sarah had a pleasant surprise when she went to get her car and drive home. She saw her parents and her sister waiting for her. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Did you really think that we'd miss what will become one of your greatest successes?" Jack Walker shot back. "I know people, so getting invitations was a piece of cake."

"He didn't want you to see us before the movie. He wanted it to be a surprise," Emma said.

"He didn't want to get you all flustered either," Carina added. "Although, it would be fun to see you change more colors than a chameleon."

"Very funny," Sarah said mirthlessly.

"We can make it up to you." Emma took her daughter by the arm. "Let's go to the restaurant, have a light dinner, some good wine… We'll toast to your success."

Sarah was touched. Her family was always so supportive of her. "Let's go."

-o-

Chuck's morning turned out to be very busy. Not only did he have to arrange for the production of his latest computer program, which had passed testing and certification with flying colors, but he also had to meet movie mogul Langston Graham about Warrior Angels.

"Where are you on the preproduction so far?" Morgan was also at the meeting and helped by occasionally asking questions – the right kind of questions."

Graham pulled out some files. "We have been making progress with the casting. The leads are pretty much covered. And the screenwriter is almost half finished."

"Already?" Chuck asked. "I'd like to see it."

"Rest assured, Chuck, it was most definitely not a rush job. Let me explain how it all began. One day, I was at my sister's and my nephew was playing your game on his computer. The more I looked at it, the more I thought it would look good as a film. So, I bought a copy, had one of my best screenwriters watch my nephew play it and then told him to get cracking and write a screenplay based on it. I did some checking and found that you wouldn't sell the movie rights unless you made sure the game would be treated with the proper respect. So, I had my people lay a lot of the groundwork even before I approached you with my offer."

"Are you keeping the initial sequences?"

"Yes, but they are in English, at least in the initial draft. I don't have any experts on ancient languages on my staff."

"Leave that to me. The dialog must be exactly as it is in the game."

"And that's non-negotiable, I gather."

"Exactly, Mr. Graham," Chuck confirmed. "I am especially proud of this particular scene. Leaving it out of the movie would be a cardinal sin."

After the meeting ended, Chuck and Morgan returned to the towering Orion building and reported to Stephen and Mary. Then they holed up in Chuck's office to review the files Graham had given them. Around lunch time, they called down to the cafeteria for pizza (the day's offering), salads and refreshments. While waiting for the food to arrive, Chuck loosened his tie and looked absentmindedly out the window. He got lost in his thoughts and failed to notice Morgan talking to him, until the short man stepped in front of him and waved both arms to get his attention.

"Chuck!"

"Sorry buddy, what were you saying?"

"Forget about what I was saying for the moment. What were you thinking about? Oh, you were thinking about HER, right?"

"Maybe," Chuck said guardedly.

"Not maybe, definitely," Morgan insisted. "I don't blame you. She's gorgeous and a nice person to boot. That's why I asked her and Ilsa for a favor when you went to the little boys' room." He ran out, went to his office and returned with a gift wrapped package, which he handed to Chuck. "Go on. Open it."

Chuck took it in his hands. It was a rolled piece of paper, most likely a movie poster. He opened it and gasped. It was the poster for Steel Furies, signed by Hartley Winterbottom, Sarah Walker and Ilsa Trinchina.

"Wow, Morgan… I don't know what to say!"

"You don't have to. We're brothers. I also got you a frame for it. Figured you might want to hang it here right now."

"Thanks buddy!" Soon, the poster took the place of honor in the large office.

-o-

A few days later…

Sarah had just finished her grocery shopping. After parking her car, she made her way to the lobby of the Maison 23 and stopped to pick up her mail. She took a minute to sort through it, separating the junk mail from the bills and other useful stuff. One letter caught her eye.

"Love found you," she read aloud. "I don't need a dating service." She threw it in the recycle bin with the rest of the junk mail.

Across the street, a man sat in a parked car with tinted windows, watching her through a pair of binoculars. He noticed her throwing the letter away. "You shouldn't have done that, Sarah," he said. "You really shouldn't. Now, you'll pay the price for ignoring me." He started the engine and drove away, his mind already formulating a variety of plans to take his revenge against the haughty bitch Sarah Walker, as he'd already labeled her. He'd be back soon.

Meanwhile, Sarah went upstairs to her apartment, where she kicked off her heels and relaxed on the couch. She had some work to do, but it could wait. The most important thing she had to do was arrange her schedule to allow for the filming of Warrior Angels.

This wouldn't be difficult to do. According to her agent, the production company was working non-stop to have everything ready as soon as possible. As Kathleen had told her, scuttlebutt had it that the preliminary casting was almost complete and the screenplay well advanced. Knowing who the producer was, it didn't surprise her at all. Graham's company had a reputation for ruthless efficiency. It was an outfit everyone in the business wanted to work with. His connections alone would be enough to complete the casting in a fraction of the time it usually took, when he was in a hurry. And she knew for a fact that Graham had been eager to be the one to make the game into a movie, so he'd moved real fast, before anyone else had had a chance to even think about bidding for the contract.

She sat at her computer and watched the opening sequence of the game again. The language the characters were speaking wasn't completely unfamiliar, something she had noticed the first time she'd played the game. She could pick up words here and there. It was definitely a Nordic language, consistent with the gameplay. The subtitles allowed her to confirm the accuracy of her translation of the words she could understand. The more she watched it, the more she became convinced she could do the character justice. On a hunch, she checked the credits. Chuck was effusively thanking a linguistics professor from Iceland for his help in writing dialogue in Old Norse.

Then, Sarah had an idea. She picked up the phone and called her agent.

"Hello Sarah."

"Hey Kathleen, how are you doing?"

"I'm fine, what can I do for you?"

"Get in touch with Graham's company. I want to know when production starts, so that I can arrange my schedule accordingly."

"No problem," Kathleen replied smoothly. "Anything else?"

"Actually, yes. I wonder if you could get me Chuck Bartowski's number. He developed the game the movie is going to be based on and I have a few questions to ask him. From what you said, he'll be breathing down the screenwriter's and director's necks."

"Give me a few minutes to see what I can do."

"I'll call you back."

"No need. I'll just text you the information and follow up with an email."

"Thanks Kathleen. I knew I could always rely on you."

A few minutes later her phone beeped. Kathleen had again come through for her. She'd found Chuck's number. Sarah checked the time and pondered on whether it was OK to call him. He should be at work, she wanted to talk to him about work, so there would be no problem. She took a deep breath and dialed the number.

"Chuck Bartowski," he answered cheerfully.

"Chuck? Hi, this is Sarah Walker."

"Sarah, hi! Um, what can I do for you?"

"You can answer some questions I have about the movie."

"Shoot."

"OK. The first one is about the beginning. I noticed that my character has a lot of lines spoken in Old Norse."

"Yeah, I kinda got the idea from a movie. But it worked."

"Will I be saying the lines in Old Norse?"

"If you're willing to sit down with a linguist and learn how to say them. Otherwise, we'll just need a sample of your voice and let some wonderful Orion software do the rest."

"Oh, a challenge," she said. "I can't wait to try my hand at it."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I understand quite a bit of Swedish, which is descended from Old Norse. It shouldn't be too difficult."

"Glad to hear it," he said, obviously happy with the development.

"I also had my agent check with the production company regarding the schedule for principal photography and stuff. But I'll need to know what else is involved. So… I was thinking… can we meet and talk about it in person?"

In his office, Chuck almost dropped from his chair to the floor. Sarah Walker wanted to meet with him? Just the two of them? Talk about a dream coming true! He tried to be as cool as possible about it. "Sure. We could go for coffee sometime soon and talk. I know this though: You'll have to train quite a bit before filming starts."

"Is today soon enough for you?" Sarah asked boldly. "I am free for the rest of the day."

"Hold on, let me check… Yes, today sounds just fine."

Sarah decided to be bold. "How about in an hour or so? You can pick me up at my place. It's apartment 832 at the Maison 23."

"Fine by me," he replied. "I'll see you soon."

Carina chose that moment to knock on Sarah's door. Sarah said goodbye to Chuck, hung up and went to answer the door.

"Who were you talking to?" Carina asked without preamble. "It sounded like you have a date."

Sarah huffed. "It's not a date, it's a business appointment."

"With whom?" Carina insisted.

"With the game developer," Sarah replied. "I met him at the premiere and today we are going to discuss some aspects of the preproduction."

"Who is he and is he cute?"

"His name is Chuck Bartowski. He's a very nice guy and apparently he's known Hartley Winterbottom for years."

"Chuck Bartowski, you said?" Carina plonked her shapely butt down in Sarah's desk chair and opened the web browser on her computer. "Let's see what the internet can tell us." Being her usual impatient self, she immediately searched for pictures of Chuck Bartowski. She opened the first few results, sat back and fanned herself with one hand. "He looks a bit nerdy, but he's cute."

Sarah looked closely. "Nah, these pictures don't do him justice."

Carina looked for pictures from the red carpet at the premiere. She clicked on pictures showing Chuck in his tux. "Now he looks like quite a hunk. He's got nice buns, too. From what I read, he's no slouch in his business, either. You've got taste, sis."

"I'm meeting him for work," Sarah protested.

"Haven't you learned anything in Hollywood? Why can't you mix business with pleasure?"

Sarah just glared at her.

"Forget about that now. You need to find something sexy to wear for your meeting."

"I wasn't planning on changing."

"Oh no, you will go to the meeting looking good. I'll make sure of it. Come on." She grabbed Sarah and led her to the bedroom. "I came here to ask you if you had any of the amazing concealer you use, but it can wait."

"What do you need my concealer for?"

"Tough case," Carina replied. "I closed it, but I have this huge bruise on my shoulder and I want to be able to wear something small and sleeveless at the celebration with the others from the office tonight."

"Are you OK?" Sarah was concerned now. She knew that being a DEA agent could be dangerous, and she loved her sister very much.

"I'm a helluva lot better than the perp. He's in the hospital ICU, under guard." As she was talking, Carina was browsing through Sarah's closet. "You need something simple, yet elegant; sexy, yet decent."

Sarah stood resignedly by, frowning slightly as items of clothing flew by her and landed on the floor, having carelessly tossed out of the closet by her sister. "Just so you know, I expect you to clean up the mess."

"As long as you blow Chuck Bartowski's socks off, I'm willing to scrub your bathroom with a toothbrush."

"I'll hold you to it," Sarah said, smiling evilly.

"So to speak," Carina amended. "Ha-ha! Got it! Yes, this is definitely what you're going to wear today." She held up a pair of designer jeans. "And this." She lifted a hanger with a slick frilly shirt and a brown leather belt. "Put them on," she commanded.

Sarah quickly changed and looked at herself in the mirror. She had to admit it, she looked great. "Thanks Carina."

"You're welcome. I trust you to pick a matching pair of shoes."

"And let's not forget the necessary famous person disguise," Sarah laughed.

"That too. Now, where's the concealer?"

"Look in the dresser, top left drawer."

-o-

_Why am I so nervous_, Sarah kept asking herself while waiting for Chuck to show up. After all, it was supposed to be just a business meeting. She didn't know, she couldn't know, that Chuck was just as nervous as she was. And he was at her door. He knocked.

"Hi Chuck," she said, opening it. She took in the sight of him, standing straight, shirt sleeves rolled up, tie slightly loosened and suit jacket casually thrown over a shoulder.

"I'm not late, am I?"

"No, come in."

"Thanks. I got this for you." He handed her a bunch of flowers. "It's a thank you gift for the poster you signed."

"They are wonderful. And my favorite."

"I know. You mentioned it in the comments of one of your early films. So, are you ready?"

"Yes. Let's go." In the elevator, she put on dark glasses and a hat. She didn't have to explain why. He just gave her an understanding smile.

They walked out of the building and he held the door of his car open for her, just like the old school gentleman he was. Neither of them noticed someone glaring at them from a parked car nearby. The man's dark eyes blazed with malevolence as he watched them interact.

The café he took her to was a nice place, not too crowded and usually favored by people who wanted to conduct their business meetings in a more relaxed and informal ambiance. They took a corner booth and gave their orders to a very polite and helpful waitress.

"You said something about training when we talked on the phone, Chuck. Care to elaborate?"

He smiled. "You've played the game, haven't you?"

"So, it is what I think it might be."

"Basically, yes," he confirmed. "I had a talk with the producer and he assured me it will be taken care of. Short of sending you off to boot camp, it's the best option. Come to think of it, we will be sending you and most of the cast off to boot camp – kind of."

"You'll have an ex-military type train us," she deduced.

"Correct. When I was researching for the game, I went all out in my quest for authenticity. I want the movie to be just as authentic."

"And bam said the lady, another interesting challenge for me," Sarah said. "Tell me more."

"You'll receive comprehensive instruction in firearms, military vehicles, small unit combat tactics, battlefield first aid and military terminology. When the instructor is done with you, you'll have become the killing machine your character is. I hope you are not squeamish or anything."

"I think I can survive a few cracked fingernails," she deadpanned.

"Don't forget the gun oil, fatigue, less than stellar accommodations…"

"For the money I'll be getting, this is nothing," she assured him. It was true. The offer's financial aspect had been more than lucrative.

"Then it's settled. You are officially the Valkyrie. Or you will be, once you sign the contract. Any more questions?"

"I have a few."

"I don't want you to take this the wrong way, but would you like to have dinner with me once we're done here? Just to celebrate the beginning of what I think will be a highly successful venture?"

"Why not?" Sarah smiled.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** You guys never cease to amaze me with how supportive you are. So, frequent updates should be a good way to express my appreciation and gratitude. You may notice that I have borrowed plot points from a movie and dialogue (and a couple more plot elements) from another of my favorite shows in this chapter. Enjoy!

* * *

"You can't be serious!" Chuck exclaimed. They were sitting at a table in a Tex-Mex restaurant, enjoying their dinner and talking.

"Why is it so weird to you, Chuck? People are betting on everything imaginable," Sarah shrugged.

"Maybe, but a… what did you call it again?" He was still rattled by what she'd just told him.

"Dead pool," she supplied.

"A dead pool is just creepy. I mean, why are people even betting on you getting killed on set?"

"Chuck, as you perfectly well know, I do my own stunts, or at least the vast majority of them. There is a certain risk, no matter how thorough the safety measures are. Besides, so far nothing has ever happened to me, if you count out a few scrapes and bruises."

He made a mental note to limit the actual stunt work on the film as much as possible, substituting computer generated graphics instead, sipped his margarita and looked at her questioningly. "So you're not creeped out by it."

"Not in the slightest. Hell, I could even bet on surviving long enough to retire, but I don't bother with it. But I see this is making you uncomfortable, so I suggest we change the subject."

"Fine. What would you like to talk about?"

She toyed with a nacho before dipping it in the guacamole and taking a bite. "Let's talk about you."

"What you see is what you get. I'm basically a professional nerd."

"Now you're being self-deprecating. You don't get to be what my sister calls a hunk just by sitting behind a computer all the time."

"I have Captain Awesome to blame for it. Or thank him, depending on the viewpoint." He saw her raising a questioning eyebrow and proceeded to explain. "Devon, whom I call Captain Awesome, is my sister's boyfriend."

"Are you really calling your sister's boyfriend Captain Awesome?" Sarah laughed.

"Everything he does is awesome: climbing mountains, jumping out of planes, rafting, bungee jumping… flossing."

"Oh."

"Did I mention he's also a cardiac surgeon?"

"No, you didn't, until just now."

"He's a fitness nut. He and Ellie – my sister – are always urging me to work out. Coupled with my good metabolism, I manage to keep in shape."

"My metabolism is pretty good, too. Otherwise the results of all the junk food from high school and college wouldn't be pretty at all. About your sister… is she younger or older?"

"She's older and she's a neurologist. Once, when she was in med school in UCLA, she hooked me up to an EEG to make a recording of brain wave activity, while I was doing my homework on my laptop."

"I too have an older sister, who is a DEA agent," Sarah admitted. "She's the one that gave me a much needed makeover just before I graduated from high school. Most of my classmates did not even recognize me at graduation." She took a picture of her and her sister from her wallet. "This was taken when I graduated from Harvard."

"This is Ellie and I after my first game won an award at a convention," Chuck said, showing her a picture of him and Ellie.

Sarah raised her glass. "To our families," she toasted.

"To our families," he agreed and they clinked glasses. "You know, I never missed an episode of the show where your dad played Jack Burton, a conman turned PI. In fact, watching it was a family tradition. We'd all gather in the living room in front of the TV and spend some quality time together."

"You still remember it?"

"I have all the episodes on DVD."

"I can get Dad to autograph those for you," she offered, knowing he would eagerly accept.

"You'd really do that for me?"

"I like you, Chuck. So yes, I'd do it." She smiled brightly. "The night's still young. Would you like to go somewhere else after dinner? Maybe get a drink…?"

"And I know just the perfect place," he smiled back. "This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

"I agree and I'd like that very much."

-o-

It was indeed the perfect place. It wasn't too crowded, the music was good and not excessively loud and the service was amazing. He got them their drinks in no time at all. He also learned another new thing about her: she liked red vodka.

"I can't believe I never heard of this place," she told him, looking around the club.

"Frankly, I didn't know about it, or the restaurant we were at earlier, either."

"Did you do an online search or something?" Sarah queried.

"No, it was a little more… old fashioned. Morgan recommended them. He's my go to guy for advice on places to eat and have fun."

"Tell him that he gives excellent advice. And he's fiercely loyal to you. I could tell, especially when he asked Ilsa, Hartley and me to sign the poster for you."

"We've been best friends, practically brothers, since we were both six."

Sarah sank deeper into the soft cushions of her chair and took one more approving look around the establishment. Then a song she really liked started playing through the speakers. "Chuck, would you like to dance?"

"Excuse me?"

"I love this song," she said by way of explanation. "Well?"

"I've got to warn you, I'm not really a good dancer."

"Duly noted. Just let me lead and you'll be fine, OK?" She got up and held out her hand. He reluctantly allowed her to pull him to the dance floor. Sarah was an excellent dancer, so she had no problem at all. Chuck just followed her lead and managed not to step on her feet. On the contrary, he soon got the hang of it and they thoroughly enjoyed their dance.

"You are a very good teacher," he told her when they returned to their table.

"For a rookie, you did pretty well," she praised his performance.

"Um, I'm not exactly a rookie… You see, a few years ago, I was dating a girl I met in Stanford. Ellie and Awesome ganged up on me and forced me to take a few dance lessons. In the end I was able not to trip on my own feet."

"What happened? With her, I mean."

"Hannah moved back east shortly after we graduated, after doing an internship at Orion. She had a family situation to deal with, so she really had to go."

"Any more skeletons in your closet… any more women?" Sarah asked.

"Just Jill, the girl I was dating before Hannah. In the end we were too much alike for it to work. We parted as friends."

"What do you mean by too much alike?"

"She was the female me, not with computers though. We were Ying and Ying, not Ying and Yang. Ying-Yang is harmony. Ying-Ying… well, it's the name for a panda."

"You're a very funny guy, Chuck," Sarah laughed.

"I've been told I'm a funny guy by a lot of people. I take it as a compliment."

"It is a compliment," she assured him. "Do you want to hear another funny thing?"

"Shoot."

"Jill and I broke up between our junior and senior year. Later, towards the middle of the senior year, my roommate asked for my permission to ask her out."

"Did you give it to him?"

"Of course I did. Besides, it wasn't at all awkward, since I was already seeing Hannah at the time. It made for some memorable double dates."

"There are very few men like you out there," she said honestly. "We've known each other for a short while and I can already tell that you're a good person."

"So are you, Sarah. You're famous, yet you're still the girl next door." They smiled at each other.

"I wish I could be funnier though," she said somberly. "I used to be too focused on my studies, so I'm seriously behind on most popular culture aspects."

"Considering who your father is, I find that a little hard to believe."

"Believe it. I was a bit of a geek at school."

"A very beautiful geek," he corrected her.

"After Carina practically kidnapped me from the library for a makeover," Sarah said.

They finished their drinks and danced to another nice song before deciding to call it a night. Once again, he opened the car door for her. They were near the Santa Monica Pier when she suddenly twisted around in her seat.

"Sarah, is something wrong?"

"No, I just saw something and it brought back many good memories."

He stopped the car. "Tell me."

"The ice cream truck over there," she said, pointing out the window. "I know it."

"Are you in the mood for some ice cream?"

"I'm always in the mood for ice cream," she replied gamely. "And this guy makes an ice cream sandwich to die for. I've been buying ice cream from him since I was a little girl."

Thus, they ended up on the beach, having left the car in a nearby parking lot, and were sitting on the sand enjoying their cold sweet treats. The lights from the pier were reflecting on the surface of the sea, creating continuously changing patterns. Both Chuck and Sarah were completely relaxed and at ease with each other.

"You know, this is where I come when I need to think or to relax," he said, breaking the comfortable silence.

"I like it. It's far enough from the pier to be peaceful and quiet, but close enough to see everything. By the way, what do you need to think about now?"

"I'm mostly relaxing. But I am thinking about the movie. Can you blame me? It's a first for me, having something I created made into a movie."

"I can't blame you," she assured him. "But it is going to be great. Trust me, Chuck." She playfully bumped her shoulder against his. They sat there a little longer after finishing their ice cream. Then, Chuck stood and offered her his hand, pulling her upright. She collected her shoes and they went back to the car.

He was going to drop her off at the Maison 23 before going home himself. But as he turned into her street, they noticed the flashing lights of the police cars clustered around the entrance to the building. Naturally, they were both curious. He parked and they made their way to the lobby together.

"What's going on?" Sarah asked the doorman and the concierge, who were huddled together at the front desk, talking in hushed tones.

"There's been a break-in, Ms. Walker," the doorman replied. "Rosie from the cleaning crew discovered it and had us call the cops. And… Ms. Walker… it was your apartment that was robbed."

"WHAT?" Chuck and Sarah asked in unison.

"Let's go talk to the cops," he suggested. They took the elevator to the eighth floor, where a few cops were dusting for prints.

"Excuse me," Sarah said. "This is my apartment. Is there anyone I can talk to?"

"I'm in charge here," a rotund African-American man wearing a sergeant's stripes said.

"Powell?" Chuck gasped.

"Chuck! Chuck Bartowski! Damn, it's a small world!"

"How are you doing Al?"

"Fine, Chuck, I'm doing fine. And you?"

"Ditto." He turned to Sarah. "I used to work summers at the Burbank Buy More back in high school and college. Al here is my old boss' cousin. Al, meet Sarah Walker. We'll be working together on a project."

"Nice to meet you ma'am. Your apartment's been trashed, so it's difficult to see if there is anything missing. But your TV, computer and stereo system are all intact."

"It's weird," she said. "Can I take a look inside?"

"As long as you don't touch anything," Sergeant Powell shrugged.

Sarah poked her head inside. "No, nothing appears missing. But whoever did this must have been looking for something." Then it came to her. "My sister lives next door." She pointed to the door of apartment 834, which was Carina's place.

"So?" Powell asked.

Chuck understood what Sarah meant. "Sarah's sister is a DEA agent."

Powell's eyes went wide. "Excuse me. I need to call a detective."

"Sarah, call your sister," Chuck advised her. "If whoever did this got in the wrong apartment…"

She immediately got her phone out of her purse. "I'm on it."

-o-

Carina was there in a really short time. And she looked pissed for having her celebration with her coworkers interrupted. For the moment, she was talking to Detective Alexis White about the break-in. Chuck was waiting with Sarah, staying out of the cops' way. Then, Carina and White came to talk to them.

"Well?" Sarah asked.

"If it was my apartment they wanted, they'd have come up empty anyway," Carina informed them. "I never take work home."

"But we did find something interesting," Alexis interjected.

"Define interesting please," Sarah said.

Alexis held up a plastic evidence bag. It contained a Barbie doll. And the doll was in a casket. "I'd say this is a warning of some sort. We found it on the bed."

"Looks like more than a mere warning. It's a death threat," Chuck said.

"We won't know more until the lab takes a crack at it, but whoever left it was diligent. The casket is hand made by the look of it."

"And they didn't leave any prints, fibers or hairs behind," Carina added. "It's actually interesting. The way your place was tossed suggests a fair amount of anger and frustration. But the doll, the casket, the clean break-in and the lack of evidence suggest premeditation."

"OK, so where does that leave me?"

"Obviously, you can't stay in there tonight, sis. The place is a total mess. You could stay with me though. I have the day off tomorrow, so I can help you clean up."

"I'll get my sleeping bag."

"My bed is big enough for the both of us, Sarah."

"I'm not sleeping in the same bed with you, Carina. Do I need to remind you what happened after the party you threw for our cousin Alex? After she gave birth to Molly? I didn't get a moment's sleep that night. You were, hogging the covers, occasionally snoring and never staying still. You were kicking me in your sleep, too."

"I was drunk!"

Sarah snorted. "You're like this all the time. At least you only snore when you're drunk. I'll sleep on the floor."

Chuck was only half listening to the girls argue. "Sarah, what if you were the target of the break-in?"

"Why would anyone do that?"

"I don't know. It could be paparazzi looking for something juicy, or I don't know what else it could be. It could even be a vengeful ex-boyfriend… maybe even a psychotic fan."

"Nah," Sarah and Carina said in unison.

"There's no way any of her exes could have done that," Carina emphasized. "They'd be too scared of what she'd do to them. As for the whole psycho thing, you watch too much TV, Chucky."

"Given the variety of possible motives, the LAPD will examine every possibility," Alexis said.

"Thank you detective," Sarah said. "If CSU is done, I'd like to take a few things."

"They're done, Ms. Walker. Feel free to take anything you might need."

Sarah just nodded and went inside to pack a bag with some essentials. She came out with it slung over a shoulder.

"Where's your sleeping bag?" Carina asked.

"I'll go stay with Mom and Dad tonight."

"No you won't. They already have guests for the night. Unfortunately, since they own this place, they know what happened. Mom is on a warpath."

"There is another option," Chuck said. "It's a secure building, with an above government grade alarm system. And it has a spare room you can use. I'm talking about my place in Echo Park."

"Now Chucky came up with quite an idea," Carina enthused. "Assuming of course that you are indeed Chuck."

"I am. Nice meeting you, Ms. Walker. Considering the circumstances, it's understandable not to having been formally introduced until now."

"Likewise," Carina smiled.

"I forgot something," Sarah said and went back inside her place. "I'll be right back."

"So, Chucky," Carina whispered in his ear after Sarah left them alone. "Are you sleeping with Sarah?"

"Excuse me?" Chuck squeaked. It was not a question he expected to hear right now.

"I thought the question was clear." She regarded him with an amused expression.

"This is the second time in my life I've seen Sarah."

"But you want to sleep with her." She circled him like a feline about to pounce on her prey. "You have my blessing," she purred in his ear and smiled widely.

"Huh?" He was confused. Who could blame him? It was kind of surreal.

"You're cute and she hasn't been out on a date in ages. Just don't do anything to hurt her. If you do, I'll find you and it won't be pretty."

Chuck gulped. "I assure you, Ms. Walker, Sarah and I are just friends and coworkers – at least for the movie currently in the works."

"I'm ready," Sarah said, emerging from her apartment. She locked the door after the police officers and crime scene techs left and shouldered the overnight bag with her pajamas, toiletries and a change of clothes. Outside the building, she paused to call her parents and assure them that she was fine. She spoke to her Mom for a few minutes and then nodded at Chuck. "Let's go."

"How did your parents take it?"

"They were concerned, but since I was nowhere near the apartment when it happened… Mom was furious though. She talked about upgrading the security of the building to avoid repeat performances."

"I overheard a couple of the cops talking. Apparently, whoever did this climbed atop a dumpster and entered through an unsecured window on the stairwell."

"And thus avoided the security cameras in the lobby and the elevators," Sarah added.

"On behalf of Orion Computers, I can make an offer for a complete overhaul and upgrade of the security systems."

"Talk to my Mom about it. I'm just a tenant... a non-paying tenant, but a tenant nonetheless."

"From what I saw, the Maison 23 is a nice place."

"It is. My grandparents owned the restaurant on the ground floor. Later, Mom and Dad bought the entire building and turned it into a luxury apartment and studio rental place. It's not expensive and offers great value for money."

"But you're not paying for it."

"Mom and Dad wouldn't have any of it when I offered to pay rent. I found another way to repay them."

"Do tell."

"The director of a movie I was in needed a new filming location after the originally chosen one didn't work out. Naturally, I suggested a place I knew very well. The rest, as they say, is history."

-o-

Sarah had insisted on driving to his place in her own car, as she'd need it in the morning. So, he gave her his address and went home in order to tidy up the guest bedroom. She arrived there not long afterwards, having made a stop at her parents' and assured them that she was OK.

"Nice place you've got here," she commented when he ushered her inside. He had been waiting for her outside and directed her to park next to his own car when she arrived.

"Thanks, but I can only take credit for the more nerdy stuff you see in here… the tobacco store Indian chief, too. The rest was all Ellie. She and Devon stayed here before the renovation of their place was finished."

"I like it just the same." She took another look around and saw the security system control panel. "And you've got a pretty elaborate security system, from what I see."

"Yes, but it's absolutely necessary. You see, I often work from home, so good security is kind of a prerequisite, considering the expensive equipment and company secrets I have here. For now, let me show you the guest bedroom and the rest of my place."

The guest bedroom was big, as big as his own room, according to Chuck. She'd already seen the living room and the kitchen, so he just showed her the bathroom. She smiled her thanks and went to her room to unpack, informing him that she'd just take a shower and go to bed.

"The bathroom is all yours, if you want it," she told him less than half an hour later. He was watching TV in the living room and turned to acknowledge her. She'd already dressed in a pair of satin pajamas and she'd let her hair loose to air-dry. She looked beautiful, as always.

"OK. Goodnight Sarah."

"Goodnight Chuck."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **I've said it many times before and I'm going to repeat it one more time: you guys are AWESOME! Thanks for your continued support, ideas, suggestions and insights for this fic. And like I promised, here's the latest installment. Enjoy!

* * *

Chuck got up and went to check the security system for the fifth time that night. Sleep was elusive. He just couldn't sleep. The reason? Sarah freaking Walker was asleep in the next room. Sarah Walker for crying out loud! The beautiful, smart, talented woman who was currently his houseguest. Granted, the insomnia wasn't exclusively due to him being a fan of her and liking her as a person to boot. He was also worried about her. On the other hand, Carina might be right. What were the odds of the break-in being the work of a psycho?

A quick trip to the kitchen for a glass of water later, and he was back in bed, staring sightlessly at the ceiling and trying to get at least a couple of hours' worth of sleep, but to no avail. When the alarm clock started blaring, he groaned, kicked back the covers and wearily got up. He shuffled to the bathroom, hoping a quick cold shower would wake him up. It was moderately effective, meaning it had to be supplemented by caffeine… lots and lots of caffeine. So, he did the next sensible thing and got the coffee maker going before heading back to his room to get dressed.

His morning coffee was still not ready when Ellie tapped on the glass of a living room window. He immediately deactivated the security system for the front door and opened it. "Hi Ellie."

She took in the sight of him, slouched, sleepy and bleary eyed. "Did you stay up all night playing games again? Never mind. Don't answer that. I brought you some English muffins from the batch I made the other day. Figured you could use them." She handed him a Tupperware box.

"Sis, you're an angel. Yes, I could definitely use them, considering I have a guest."

"A guest?" Ellie echoed.

"Yes, she's…" He never got the chance to tell her, for she let out a deafening squeal. "Ellie! Keep it down! She's still sleeping!"

"Sorry," she said, but there wasn't really much regret in her voice. "Still, you're going to be able to feed her something more substantial than breakfast cereal."

"I was going to make pancakes or waffles, depending on what I'll find in the pantry. By the way, coffee's ready. Care for some?"

"Sure, thanks." She looked around as he poured her a cup, somewhat disappointed at not finding a trail of discarded clothing leading back to his room. In the end, she could not resist asking. "Who is she?"

"Sarah Walker," he replied.

"The actress? You have a film star asleep in your bed? Chuck, I'm so proud of you and…"

"Ellie, she's in the guest room. She came to talk to me about the movie yesterday, and then I sort of invited her out and we had dinner together. We also went to a club, had ice cream at the beach and finally I drove her home."

"Then how did she end up here?"

"Someone broke into her apartment. The place was a mess. She wouldn't stay with her sister and she couldn't go to her parents', so I offered to put her up in the guest room for the night. The reason I didn't get much sleep is that I was worried about her and kept getting up to check the security system."

"Why?"

"It's merely speculation, but among the motives for the break-in the LAPD is considering… there's a remote possibility it was the work of some psycho obsessed with her. Or maybe someone is trying to get to her sister, who is a DEA agent, through her. Either way, I wanted to make sure she's safe. We've known each other for a short time, yet we've managed to become friends."

"OK Chuck. I'll leave you to do whatever you have to do. I don't have any operations scheduled for today, so call if you need anything."

"Thanks for everything, Ellie."

"You're welcome. I gotta go. Devon is waiting for me."

"Have a nice day, sis."

"You too, little brother."

Chuck sliced two of the English muffins Ellie had brought in half and popped them in the toaster, but didn't turn it on yet. He also made an omelet with bell peppers and onions chopped in and then got the ingredients for chocolate chip pancakes, as well as the Fruit Loops. He wanted to give Sarah a choice from a variety of breakfast foods. In addition to cooking, he also read his emails and sent the appropriate replies.

Soon, he had just about everything ready. The pancakes were on the griddle, having just been flipped, the muffins were being toasted, and the omelet was ready. All he had to do was rouse the person that would help him eat all the delicious items currently on the kitchen counter. He went to the guest room and was about to knock when he noticed she'd left the door open. And he couldn't resist taking a peek inside.

Sarah was curled up on her side, the covers at her waist. She looked very peaceful. And she was holding something in her arms. It turned out to be a stuffed toy animal. It was kind of funny, an actress famous for her tough girl roles cuddling with a toy in her sleep. Chuck raised his hand to knock when the alarm clock blared. Sarah groaned and slapped the off button. He took the cue and knocked.

"Mmmhhh?"

"Sarah, breakfast is ready," he called from the doorway.

"Um, okay, I'll be right over." She got up to go to the bathroom and splash some water on her face. And then she noticed him looking at her bedmate. "His name is Bunny. Dad got him for me even before I was born. It was on a set when the shooting wrapped up. Dad noticed it and, to cut a long story short, Bunny's been with me ever since. He was there even when I was born. And every time I am stressed about something, I sleep with him." She gave the stuffed toy dog a loving caress and deposited it on her overnight bag. She didn't bother to change out of her pajamas and followed him to the kitchen.

"And from what I see, you're not really a morning person."

"I'm not," she admitted. "I remember once, when I was back home from Harvard…" she trailed off.

"You don't have to tell me if it's embarrassing."

"I'd say it was stupid. Anyway, the alarm clock was bothering me and I wanted to sleep in, so I threw the first thing I found at it."

"So?"

"The first thing I found was the hunting knife Grandpa had given me as a present. Then, I had to cover the hole in the wall, where the knife had impaled the clock, with a piece of wallpaper I cut from behind my bed, and also make up a story to explain away the destruction of the alarm clock."

"I don't think it was stupid. Actually, it sounded funny, in a good way."

"Thanks Chuck. Whatever you have there smells wonderful. What is it?"

"You have a choice between a breakfast sandwich, Fruit Loops, chocolate chip pancakes and of course coffee," he told her.

"Wow. You went to a lot of trouble on my account."

"It was nothing. Besides, Ellie brought the English muffins. They are homemade."

She gratefully accepted a cup of coffee, added cream and sugar and took a sip. "You lay out a good spread, Chuck. But you look like you haven't slept well. Is something wrong?"

"What? No. No, I was just too wound up to sleep."

"Was it because of what happened yesterday?"

"To tell you the truth yes, I was a little worried about you. We are friends and…" He left out the part about her mere presence in his apartment being a major part of the cause of his insomnia.

"You're so sweet, Chuck. But, I'm fine, you're fine and since we are both fine, let's sit down and enjoy this heavenly breakfast." She smiled warmly. Normally, men would try to get into her pants from the get-go. But not Chuck. He was the perfect gentleman around her, which made her like him even more.

They sat down and began eating. "I have some news about the movie," Chuck said suddenly.

"Good news, I hope," she said cautiously.

"Very good news," he confirmed smiling. "The actor originally cast for the part of Odin won't be able to make it."

"That doesn't sound very good, unless there was an alternative."

"Uh-huh. Remember when I told you about the linguist?"

She nodded.

"I sent him an email and asked him to play the part. He accepted."

"He did?"

"Yup. Let me tell you a couple of things about him. His name is Magnus Einerson and he's from Iceland. He has a doctorate in Scandinavian languages and he was also an Olympic archer. He said he'd be honored to play a part in the movie. The producer agreed with my proposal and said that they want to start filming soon. He said something about doing the Valhalla scenes first before sending the cast off to Fort Irwin for training and shooting the combat scenes."

"What did you tell them?"

"I told them to wait until Professor Einerson pronounces you ready for the shoot."

"In that case, I'll have to start working with him as soon as possible. I trust you can make the necessary arrangements."

"Leave everything to me."

"Thanks." She poured herself another cup of coffee. "This is very good."

"Ellie knows where to get the best blends. She's a doctor, so running on caffeine is the norm for her. For me too, especially when I have a deadline approaching and have to finish writing a program or complete a prototype for some hardware."

"Would you like one more, Chuck?"

"Yes, thank you."

After finishing their breakfast, she retired to the guest room and got dressed. He found her there a few minutes later, now wearing a t-shirt and jeans, making the bed. Her bag was already packed and she looked fresh and ready to go start her day.

"You needn't bother with it, you know," he told her.

She shot him a look. "It's the least I can do. Being sloppy at my place is one thing, but…"

"No buts. You're a guest here. And I'm not in the habit of letting my guests bother with the more trivial details."

"Let me guess. You left your own bed unmade."

"Pretty much," he admitted. "What? I'm a guy living by himself. It's not like anyone is going to notice. Except Ellie maybe, if she bothers to take a look through the window in the courtyard and only if she's in her neat freak mode for some reason."

"Being a younger sibling myself, I can sympathize," she said. "Thanks for everything, but I have to go. Carina is waiting for me and I need to straighten up my place."

Chuck was expecting a handshake. He certainly didn't expect Sarah to stand on tiptoes and give him a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"You are welcome," he managed to stammer.

"See you around." With that, she shouldered her bag and went to get her car.

-o-

"About time you got here," Carina grumbled. "We have a lot of work to do and it's my day off, as you very well know."

"Hey! You offered to help," Sarah reminded her.

"Then we best get busy." The two began tidying up Sarah's apartment, throwing the pieces of broken things into a trash bag and putting everything else in their proper places. "How did it go with Chucky last night?" Carina asked at one point.

"His guest room has a very comfortable bed."

"What? You slept in the guest room? Sis, I'm extremely disappointed at you. Unless… unless he slept in the guest room with you."

"No, he slept in his own bed."

"Stop! I don't want to listen to anything else! Chucky's cute, polite…"

"He also cooks," Sarah added. "He made me breakfast."

"Then marry him." Carina perversely enjoyed seeing her little sister gape at her like a fish out of water. "I'm serious, Sarah. The man sounds like a bargain. Find him, go down on one knee and give him a ring to slip on your finger. I think you won't even need a prenup with him."

"Carina, slow down! I only spent a night in his place and you're already planning a wedding?"

"You don't look a gift horse in the mouth. Or, in Chuck's case, you don't look a gift _stud_ in the mouth. There are other more interesting parts of his anatomy."

"Carina!"

"Although… the mouth can do a lot, both in and out of the bedroom," Carina continued undaunted.

"Stop! Just stop it, OK? Unlike you, my mind is not in the gutter all the time. Besides, we're just friends."

"Haven't you learned anything in Hollywood? There is no such thing as friendship between a man and a woman who like each other as much as you two do… unless he's gay."

"He most certainly isn't," Sarah said, offended that Carina would even think such a thing about Chuck. After all, he'd already told her a few things about previous women in his life.

"Has he taken a vow of celibacy, then?"

"No. But he told me something about last night being the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

"It should be the beginning of a lot more than just a beautiful friendship. Hey, I got an idea! You can make it a friendship with benefits! Sis, I'm serious," Carina insisted. "You haven't dated anyone for almost a year. You need the distraction and the whole shebang of an intimate relationship. Go for it. Go for _him._"

"You think so?"

"I know so. You like him a lot and you're not even bothering to deny it. You'll be seeing a lot of him, too. Make the best of it."

Sarah paused and thought about it. Last night, she'd caught herself thinking about how nice a more intimate relationship with Chuck would be. She liked him a lot, more than she had liked anyone in her entire life, and he obviously liked her, but for whatever reason he wasn't making the first move. Well, she could make the first move. She resolved to go after him and not let up until he caved and gave in to the inevitable. And, like Carina had just said, she'd be seeing plenty of him for the foreseeable future, especially since he'd be involved closely with the production of the movie.

-o-

Balancing a tray with three cups of coffee on one hand, Chuck paused and knocked on a door. Getting permission to enter, he turned the knob and went in. The room was a spare office on the executive floor of the Orion building. And it was currently occupied by Professor Magnus Einerson and Sarah Walker.

"Chuck!" Sarah said cheerfully. "What brings you here?"

"I thought you might need a coffee break. How are things progressing here?"

Einerson answered the question. "Sarah is doing very well. Her understanding of Swedish, albeit limited, helps a lot. You won't have to dub her. And a coffee break sounds like a good idea right now."

"It's an exciting new experience," Sarah added. The sessions with Professor Einerson she'd been having over the past few days had an additional benefit: She was seeing Chuck every day and never missed a single opportunity to flirt with him. This time, she sidled up to him and hooked an arm around his waist, while plucking her coffee from the tray. "Thanks for the coffee, by the way. I needed it." She waited until Einerson took his mug and then guided Chuck to sit on the office couch with her. "Magnus thinks that we'll be ready for the actual shoot in a couple of days, once I have fully mastered the pronunciations."

"She already does a fair Scandinavian accent," Einerson said. "And the hardest part is behind us. As for me, I've already memorized my lines. It wasn't hard, as I wrote them for you in the first place."

"Just let me know when you're ready. I talked to Graham and he has a crew working over at Zenith Studios, preparing the set for the Valhalla scenes."

"When will they be ready?" Sarah asked.

"Assuming everything goes well, they expect to be done with the finishing touches in two to three days. It actually depends on when a contractor will deliver certain items."

Einerson nodded when Sarah looked at him meaningfully. "We'll be ready."

"Splendid," Chuck enthused. "I took a look at the costumes. They are, in one word, awesome."

"I expect them to be just like the ones in the game," Sarah said.

"They will. I made sure of that."

"Magnus has a meeting with some archaeology students later. So, I was wondering… maybe we could have lunch together…"

"Sure. The cafeteria is serving burgers today."

"Then it's settled. I'll come to your office and get you when we're done here for the day. Do you think I can get a medium rare cheeseburger with extra pickles?"

"You just have to order it that way."

-o-

The cursor moved to one of the links displayed on the screen. One click later, the browser opened to a forum page.

"It's official!" One post read. "They are making preparations at Zenith Studios for filming Warrior Angels!"

"IMDB dot com confirms that Sarah Walker (FTW!) has been cast for the lead! :O :O :O"

"A movie trivia blog confirmed the producers' intentions to stay true to the game! Does this mean we'll get the scene with Odin and the Valkyrie like it was in the game intro? I hope so!"

The man kept reading the posts. One after the other heaped praise on Orion Computers for the game and on Sarah Walker for accepting the offer to star in the movie. Filming hadn't even begun yet and already the buzz was up all over the web. He chuckled evilly. Those stupid little fans would be sorely disappointed. The movie would never get to the theaters, not with the plans he'd hatched. It would be discontinued after the tragic death of Sarah Walker. Ironically, the details revealed on the fan sites would help immeasurably in implementing his plans.

Still smirking, the man tried another link. This time it was to the page of a gossip website. A photo in the latest news section showed Sarah Walker leaving the Orion Computers building in the company of a tall lanky man, who was handing her a bunch of papers. According to the caption, she'd been finalizing some details for the production. But he knew better. The whore had been screwing the dork senseless ever since he'd seen them that day leaving her apartment building. Well, she'd have one more thing to pay for. And she'd pay dearly, too.

-o-

Sarah had enjoyed the time she'd spent with Chuck very much. The poor guy thought that they were just having lunch and talking like the good friends they'd become in a remarkably short time. But she had other plans. Chuck would never know what hit him, which of course would make the whole seduction thing a lot more enjoyable for both of them. She smiled as she relaxed on her couch and opened the script again. She wanted to do a little more work on her lines before calling it a day.

Meanwhile, in his apartment, Chuck had just finished bringing Morgan up to date about the progress they were making with the movie. They both fully intended to indulge in some online gaming and then watch a movie. After all, they deserved to relax, considering how hectic things had been at work.

"How did it go with Sarah today?" Morgan asked as he helped set up the gaming center in the living room.

"The professor says she'll be ready in a couple of days. Frankly, I was surprised she rose to the challenge and decided to learn the lines herself instead of merely having them dubbed. But then again, it's just like her. I mean, she does her own stunts, so she wouldn't let a small thing like language stand in her way. She also claims it to be an interesting learning experience."

"That's good news and all, but it wasn't exactly what I was talking about. I couldn't help but notice how close the two of you have become over the past few days. What's really going on between you two?"

Chuck temporarily avoided having to answer the question by the timely arrival of the pizza they'd ordered. But Morgan wasn't about to let his best friend get away with it. He wanted answers and he wanted them now. "Get plates and soda, buddy," Chuck said as he brought the pizza boxes in.

"Fine, but you'll have to answer my question."

"What question was that again?"

"You and Sarah. Spill."

"We are friends," Chuck began.

"Yeah, right. She's totally into you, dude. And you want her. I know she's on the top of your freebie five list, so quit dawdling and give her a good dose of the Ol' Bartowski Charm."

"You think so?"

"I mean, what have you got to lose? Just be subtle about it. If she just wants to be friends with you, so be it. But if she wants more… I say go for it."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **So, you are still enjoying this. Good. This chapter is a belated birthday present for Siobhan90 and also a timely name day present. By the way, the part written in italics is supposed to be spoken in Old Norse.

* * *

"Action!" Hartley commanded. The sound stage at Zenith Studios had been prepared to represent a throne room. A camera zoomed in on Sarah. She was wearing a black tunic, a red cape, chain mail, boots, steel bracelets and armbands, her hair in two braids, a sword in its scabbard on her side and a shield strapped to her left arm. She walked majestically towards the throne where a bearded man sat, flanked by two wolves and two ravens. The man was none other than Magnus Einerson, who was in costume and makeup, since he was playing Odin in the movie. She respectfully knelt before him.

"_You sent for me, Mighty Odin?"_

"_Yes, my child. Rise. We have serious matters to discuss."_

"_What is thy wish?"_

"_Things have been dull here in Valhalla during the last few centuries. I see the same old faces every day. Even the einherjar seem to have lost their zest."_

"_Sire, I see all that when I bring them their mead, along with the other Valkyries."_

"_There is only one solution. We need to have new einherjar in the halls of Valhalla. You, child, have made an excellent reputation for yourself over the centuries. I can think of no one else to whom I can entrust with this very important task. You will go back to Earth, for the first time in ages, and bring more brave souls of warriors to Valhalla."_

"_There never seems to be a time on Earth without war, my Lord. I am sure I can find plenty of men worthy of sitting at your table."_

"_Your task will not be as easy as you may think, my beautiful battle maiden. Warfare has evolved with time. Men are not using cold steel in battle to spill the blood of their enemies with anymore, at least not frequently. They merely take pot shots at each other and they also use other newfangled war machines." _

"_Surely, even under those circumstances, there should be many true warriors out there, men deserving to become einherjar once they fall in battle."_

"_And this is exactly why I need you, Hildr. You will be sent down to Earth, where you'll live like a mere mortal for some time. You will join an army and follow it to the field of battle as one of its members. There, you will have to select those who will swell the ranks of the einherjar. The experience you will gain in modern combat will give you the knowledge to make the right choices. Do you accept this assignment?"_

"_I do, my Lord."_

"_Good. I expected no less of you, Hildr. You are hereby excused from your normal duties in Valhalla, in order to prepare for your mission. Now go. You'll find the details taken care of when you get to Earth."_

"_Yes, my Lord."_

"Cut!" Hartley called. "Sarah, Magnus, we had a perfect take. We won't have to repeat it, so excellent job all round, people."

Magnus peeled off the fake beard he was wearing and smiled. "Sarah delivered her lines perfectly, just as we rehearsed them. It'll save you the trouble of making corrections during editing."

Meanwhile, Sarah had handed her sword and shield over to the props guys and was patting the two wolves on their heads. One of them licked her hand, then lay down and rolled over so that she could scratch his belly. She'd always loved animals and those two were absolutely adorable. She laughed as the other wolf whimpered, also wanting his share of her affection, which she couldn't deny him. Soon, their trainers picked them up. She rose and looked around until she saw Chuck. He was reviewing the footage with Hartley. Sarah really liked the way his brow furrowed in concentration.

He looked up from the screen, noticed her and waved. She approached him and the director with a big smile on her face. "What's up, gentlemen?"

"Like I was telling Charles here, you and Magnus nailed it. We are both very satisfied with the results."

"You were fantastic, Sarah," Chuck added.

"Thank you. Should I go change, or do you want to shoot the other Valhalla scene?"

"She's got a point," Chuck remarked. "She and Magnus are already wearing the proper costumes, so we could do the other scene and be done with it."

"Charles, my boy, you're forgetting one thing. We don't have the extras the scene requires on set. Besides, it'll be better to do it after we return from Fort Irwin. Sarah will be tired and it'll show, which will greatly add to the realism."

"Hartley had me do one scene from Steel Furies just after I landed following the filming of a lengthy air combat maneuvering sequence. I was exhausted and it showed, but it was well worth it."

"I think I know the scene you're talking about. And given how hard Hartley goes for realism in his movies, I wouldn't expect him to do anything less. But now, since we've wrapped it up for the day, can I offer you a cold drink?"

"I'd love one." The soundstage was really warm from all the lights and she needed a drink. She latched on to his arm and allowed him to lead her to the refreshment stand. She'd go leave the Valkyrie outfit in the wardrobe later. For his part, Chuck mostly managed to hide his surprise at her possessive manner. Sarah gratefully accepted a bottle of soda and raised it. "To a great beginning." Even though most people would interpret her statement as being pertinent to the filming, it also had a hidden meaning. It was about her pursuit of a relationship with Chuck.

"To a great actress," he said. They clinked bottles and for a few moments just sipped their sodas.

"You're an incorrigible flatterer, Chuck."

"I mean every word," he said, looking very serious. "When you and Magnus were up on that stage, I almost thought I'd been transported back in time. It was very realistic."

"Come on," she said. "You wrote the scene for the game. It was all you, Chuck."

"Maybe, but when I was writing the game, Morgan and I spent hours upon hours researching. We wanted to make it as authentic as possible. We even sought a renowned archeologist's counsel. Even then, it was just code on a computer screen. Seeing it live, however…" He trailed off. He needn't say anything more. Sarah nodded in understanding. Clearly, she'd come dangerously close to underestimating Chuck. The man had hired a professor of linguistics to make sure the dialogue would be accurate, for crying out loud! It stood to reason that the setup would be just as carefully researched and planned.

"Damn," Sarah muttered suddenly.

"What's the matter?"

"The clasp on my cape is stuck. I can't get it off and it's hot in here. Can you please see if you can…?" She tilted her head and used one hand to gather up her hair and give him easier access to the offending item of her Valkyrie costume.

"Sure." He set his bottle of soda down on the nearest table and focused on the task at hand. Sarah tensed when his fingers brushed the smooth skin of her neck. It was all she could do not to swoon and then melt into his touch. He seemed not to notice. In fact, he was trying hard to stay focused and not let his hands shake. They were so close that they could feel each other's breath on their skin. "You must really be uncomfortable, having to wear this thing for so long."

She smiled at his thinly disguised concern for her welfare. "Actually, I was so stoked about it that it didn't bother me at all while rehearsing with Professor Einerson and during the shoot."

"Ah, there you go!" He managed to undo the clasp and she pulled the cape off of her shoulders, handing it over to one of the people from the wardrobe department.

"Thank you Chuck." She took another swig of her ice cold soda. "Any word on the schedule for the rest of the movie?"

"I was just discussing it with Hartley while you were at makeup. The producer made the arrangements with the Army and the consultant will already be on site at Fort Irwin by the time you get there."

"When?" Sarah insisted.

"You are scheduled to meet the rest of the cast there the day after tomorrow. Then, you'll spend a few days receiving firearms and combat training. By the way, Graham sweetened the deal for the base commander by promising to ask you and other actors to meet the troops there. They think it'll be good for morale."

"Graham is a smart man. But what he suggested is also nice. Sure, I'll visit the troops. Those guys will be going off to war soon. A little morale booster is always welcome to them, I suppose." She finished her drink, threw the bottle in a recycle bin and turned to Chuck again. "This means I'll have to spend tomorrow packing and getting ready for the filming. So, would you like to come to my place for dinner tonight?"

"Sure, I'd love to," he replied without hesitation.

"Good." She marched off towards her dressing room. The studio staff had been pleasantly surprised when she asked for a simple dressing room to get ready for the scene instead of demanding a trailer, as befitting her status as a movie star. They'd grown accustomed to the annoying quirks and eccentricities of many actors, so her down to earth attitude was refreshing for them. "Be there at about seven. I'll order pizza."

"Seven o'clock it is," he confirmed. He stood and watched her saunter off, a smile forming on his face.

-o-

"Sarah asked you on a date?" Morgan squeaked when Chuck broke the news to him.

"We'll be having dinner, Morgan. Come to think of it, I should also get a movie for us to watch."

"Dude, remember the plan. You want to woo Sarah Walker. She gave you an opening. Take advantage of it."

"I plan to."

"No, you haven't planned anything yet. You'll have to make an impression when you show up. This means you'll have to pick the proper attire and also get her something nice."

"Hmm… you're right, Morgan. What do you think I should do?"

"Didn't we have this big shot client once? The one who was a veritable Lothario? What was his name…? Ah yes, it was Roan Montgomery." Both Chuck and Morgan were well aware of the billionaire playboy who'd wanted to streamline his corporate operations. Orion Computers had made millions out of the deal. The man had even tried to charm Mary Bartowski into his bed, until he realized that she was married. "Go to him for advice."

"Somehow asking a complete stranger for advice on that kind of thing feels a little awkward. I never even met the guy. All we did was exchange some emails."

"Fine. I'll do it." He pulled his smart phone from a pocket and opened the web browser. "Aha! Got it! Chuck, the guy's got a blog. I think I found something useful for you… White dinner jacket, bottle of Château Margaux, red rose, that's it." He put the phone back in his pocket and faced his friend, smiling. "Now you know what to do, pal."

"I heard the suggestions. Let's see… I have the dinner jacket Ellie got for me once… It should go nicely with a pair of dark jeans and a black t-shirt. I wouldn't want to be too formal, after all. As for the wine and the flower, I can stop at a high end liquor store and a florist's on the way to her place."

-o-

It was seven o'clock on the dot when Chuck knocked on Sarah's door. He had followed the suggestions Morgan had found to a T, and was wearing the aforementioned white dinner jacket over a black t-shirt, dark jeans and white Chuck Taylors. And of course he had a beautiful red rose and a bottle of Château Margaux.

Sarah opened the door and it was all he could do to stop his jaw from dropping to the floor. As it was, he was sure his eyes were bulging out of their sockets at the sight of her. The reason? She was in tight jeans and a grey cut-off t-shirt with 'FRAK OFF' printed on the front. Sarah was a BSG fan by the looks of it, which made him even more attracted to her – if it were humanly possible.

"Hi Sarah," he said, managing to keep his voice at a mostly normal level.

"Chuck, you're right on time. Come in. The pizza just got delivered."

"Thanks. I brought some wine, by the way. And this is for you." He handed her the wine and the rose.

She took them and brought the rose to her nose. "Thank you Chuck. It's very sweet of you." She turned around to find a vase and put the rose in, a self satisfied smile on her face. If his reaction to her appearance was any indication, her plan was working and working very well indeed. The massive boost it gave her ego was just an added benefit. "Normally, I'd say this wine is too much for a mere pizza, but I happen to like Château Margaux, a lot."

"Then I made a good choice."

"You definitely made a good choice. Can you please open the bottle? The corkscrew is in the drawer by the sink. I'll get the plates."

"Sure thing," he replied. By the way, I also brought a movie, just in case I found you in the mood."

"A movie sounds just about right," she agreed. "I could even make us some popcorn. But we'll definitely have the pizza first. It's heavenly. We've been buying from that parlor for ages."

"We?" Chuck queried.

"Mom knows the owner. As a restaurateur herself, she can appreciate good stuff," Sarah said by way of explanation. "Pizza nights at least once a month are a Walker family tradition."

"It smells good," he agreed as he opened a pizza box.

"Wait, that one is mine. This one has olives, so it's yours." She smiled. "I just don't like olives cooked."

"Your loss," he teased her. "Olives are good."

"They are," she agreed. "But I'll only eat them either raw or pickled."

"Plain, stuffed with red peppers or almonds?"

"Red peppers, hands down," she replied. He instantly filed it away for future reference. He already knew a few things about her culinary preferences: what she liked for breakfast, how she wanted her burgers, how she ordered her pizza and now the variant of pickled olives she preferred.

They enjoyed their pizza while watching the first half of the movie. For the second half, they had a huge bowl of popcorn between them. Frankly, before Chuck's arrival, Sarah had been wary about the outcome of a certain part of her plan. Her wardrobe choice had the potential to either beguile Chuck or scare him away by making her appear like a capricious celebrity looking for a fling. But he'd judged her right the first time they'd gone out and he held firm to his assessment. Encouraged, Sarah leaned into him, slowly, so as not to startle him. She felt him stiffen momentarily, but then he relaxed again.

Her mental self did a touchdown dance when, a few minutes later, he draped an arm over the back of the couch – and over her shoulders as well. She looked up at him and gave him a small smile, which he returned. They were both very comfortable in their new positions and didn't move, other than going through the motions of digging into the popcorn and sipping their soft drinks. Neither of them wanted this magical evening to end. And each was thinking that maybe the other also wanted something more for their relationship. Still, they wanted to let it all evolve naturally, not force things along.

He went so far as to help her tidy up, over her protests and objections, before leaving after the movie was over. She'd really loved Tron. He had just wished her goodnight and was halfway out the door when she stopped him with a hand on his elbow.

"Are you going to be at Fort Irwin, too?"

"Yes," he replied and noticed how her eyes sparkled. He hated to put a damper on her enthusiasm, but he had to. "But not immediately." As he expected, her face fell a little.

"When?"

"I have to work at the office, but once your training is over and the filming starts I'll be there."

"Good thing Hartley doesn't resent you being there and going over everything."

"Let me tell you a little thing about Uncle Hartley. Not only is he an old friend of my parents', but it's also the first time he's directing a movie based on a computer game, so he wants me there to consult. By the way, the guy who'll be training you is one of the best out there. Graham practically sang praises for the man."

"I'll miss you," she said and hugged him.

"I'll miss you too, Sarah." He held her in his arms and rubbed soothing circles on her back. They pulled a little apart and looked at each other. "Take care."

"I will." She hugged him again and kissed him on the cheek. "And I'll be waiting to see you again."

-o-

The game's end credits were rolling on the screen when the escape key was hit, with a little more force than necessary. The man sitting behind the computer exited Warrior Angels, frustrated at not having achieved a high enough score to get to the kill screen all gamers had been raving about in online forums. Anyone else would have thoroughly enjoyed playing it regardless, but all he could do was picture Sarah Walker as one of the main characters. The movie would undoubtedly be amazing… if it made it to completion. But he'd made it his mission to prevent that.

His room was dark, the only light being the glow of the computer screen. It illuminated his face, giving his demented smile a most evil quality. He'd figured out a great way to kill Sarah Walker. She'd die on set, like Brandon Lee had. He'd have easy access to everything he needed to build a little contraption of vital importance to his plan, but planting it exactly where it was needed in order to be effective would take some serious planning. Shutting down the computer, he made his way to the bedroom and his unsuspecting wife, who was asleep in their bed.

-o-

The cast and crew had had barely enough time to leave their stuff in the trailers parked in a section of the base that had been allocated to the production company. Now, they were sitting inside a large tent, waiting to be briefed by the consultant. Sarah and the other cast members were sitting up front, chatting among themselves and getting to know each other. To her satisfaction, she'd worked with a few of them before. The buzz from the multitude of conversations taking place in the tent stopped when Graham and another tall imposing man walked to the folding table set up at one end, facing the chairs.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Graham began. "Welcome to Fort Irwin. First of all, allow me to tell you a couple of things about today's schedule. Following this quick briefing, the cast members will be taken to the main area of the base, where they'll meet the troops. You are encouraged to sign autographs, take pictures with the service members and the like. If any of you wish so, you may help at the mess hall, as part of this small public relations exercise. In the meantime, the crew will finish setting things up here." He paused and looked at his audience. "And now, allow me to introduce your instructor in weapons and combat tactics. People, meet John Casey. He's a retired Marine Colonel, with plenty of combat experience, so pay attention to everything he says. John, you've got the floor."

"Thank you sir." Casey then addressed the audience. "Like Mr. Graham said, I'm John Casey. You can just call me Casey. Before we begin, do any of you have military training or combat experience?" A few people raised their hands. One or two were technicians. The rest were extras. "Excellent," Casey said. "I'll need your help to make sure everything runs smoothly. I have one hard and fast rule and I want you to remember it: You'll treat every gun as if it's locked and loaded, no matter if you know it's empty. Safety first, people, remember that. Even blanks can do damage, and so far no one has been hurt on a set I've worked on. And I want to keep it that way."

"Sir, can you tell us about the schedule?" The question came from a tech. "We need to prepare the armory."

"Well, we won't be doing anything today, so you're free to unpack the gear, clean the packing grease from the weapons and secure them in the racks."

"OK, got it."

"Training begins tomorrow. You'll eventually be able to field strip and reassemble every standard personal and squad weapon in the US Military blindfolded when I'm done with you. Concurrent with weapons instructions, you'll learn about combat tactics. Authenticity is the key word here."

"So, what about us?" One of the extras, a Latin man who'd be playing an Afghan, spoke up.

"You'll get some training, too. After all, the enemy tactics vary from simple spray and pray to elaborately planned ops."

"Thank you sir."

"Before I forget, the base commander has graciously allowed us the use of a few specialized military vehicles, both for training and actual filming, making everything all the more authentic." He looked at his audience. "Any more questions?" There were none. "Dismissed. Those of you who want to go meet the troops will come with me. Be in front of the director's trailer in fifteen minutes. We'll get a bus ride to the main billeting area then."

The cast and crew left the large tent and went to their trailers. Sarah decided to freshen up a little and change. She was looking forward to meeting the soldiers, hoping she'd pick up slang and other minutiae that might make her performance in the movie better, in addition to helping keep up morale.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **After the enthusiastic reception of the previous installment, you deserve a big thank you in the form of a nice long chapter. Enjoy! BTW, the plot thickens even more here.

* * *

Sarah opened the door of her trailer and shuffled tiredly inside. To her and the rest of the cast it had been one exhausting day after another. Casey had been driving them all really hard. Fortunately, she didn't have the weight of the helmet, body armor, gear and weapons on her any more. She barely had the strength to strip off her dusty Multicam battle dress uniform and boots and get in the shower stall. She stood under the spray for several minutes, allowing the hot water to soothe her aching muscles. Then, she changed into a t-shirt, shorts and tennis shoes, before taking her BDU out the back and shaking the sand and dust off of it.

Feeling human again, she made her way to the tent which served both as a briefing room and dining hall. There were already several people there, talking in groups. She saw Hartley going over something with Casey. It was probably about the next day's schedule. Sarah was grateful that training was almost over. She could already operate and maintain every weapon she'd have to use for the movie and in addition Casey had arranged something with the range officer of the base the other day and the cast had joined the troops at the firing range. Shooting with all those weapons had been fun and, pretty much to the surprise of everyone else, her scores had been very high. An officer had even jokingly suggested that she could skip weapons training, should she ever decide to enlist in the Army.

Frankly, she didn't mind the hard work, especially since Casey and Hartley were having them rehearse some scenes they'd be filming later, so they were to be spared a lot of trouble. This was good, considering the heat. As it was, they were going through the water they were carrying on their gear at a fast rate. To them all, the best part was when the training and rehearsals involved riding in vehicles borrowed from the Army, which were air-conditioned. The one thing she missed the most, however, was Chuck. She was eager for filming to begin, since it meant that he'd be there. She could call him, of course, but Carina had nixed the idea, saying something about absence making the heart grow fonder. It was working, at least on her, but she was hoping it was having the same effect on Chuck as well.

One of the perks of the job was the catering. Graham had hired a specialist company to handle it, so food was both adequate in quantity and of excellent quality. And the way her stomach protested after such an exhausting day, made her stand in line to get dinner.

"Hey Sarah," Lou Palone, the catering girl, greeted her. "How was it today?" This was a running joke between the cast and the support staff, since everyone knew how tough it was.

"I'm still here," Sarah replied, keeping to the newly established tradition. "What have you got for us today?"

"We have onion soup as an appetizer, followed by the barbecue special, a salad of your choice – I recommend the Greek salad today – and finally ice cream for dessert."

"Yum. I'm starving."

"You should be. I watched you out there for a few minutes and I got tired and hungry. I can only imagine how hard it was for you."

"It wasn't that bad," Sarah said. After all, she was in shape. "The worst thing is the heat."

"Well then, I'd better make sure you're properly hydrated." Lou added a half-liter bottle of soda to the tray.

"Thanks." Sarah collected her tray and looked around to decide where to sit. Eventually she took a seat at a table with a couple of other actors. Maybe a bit of small talk and Hollywood gossip would help pass the time.

-o-

Chuck finished a phone call he'd made and leaned back in his comfortable office chair, his expression one of satisfaction. Then he made another call, this time to his father. And finally he pressed a button on his office intercom.

"Hello!" Morgan answered cheerfully from his own office, which just so happened to be an adjoining one.

"Get your butt over here, buddy. We've got work to do."

"I'll be right over." It took him just a minute to finish whatever he'd been working on before receiving Chuck's summons. "Tell me the good news, dude."

"Uncle Hartley called. Casey pronounced the cast ready, willing and able. They're beginning filming in earnest tomorrow."

"Then we should be there."

"I know. Right after I hung up with Hartley, I called Dad. Do you remember the RV we designed together back when we first started here?"

"You mean the multipurpose, all terrain, adaptable, modular motor home/office/etc? Mr. B authorized us the use of one?"

"Yes he did. It's not the amphibious version, mind you, which we'll not need in the desert anyway, but it'll be fully equipped with living quarters for the two of us, plus a compact but functional office. The production doesn't have an extra trailer on site for us, so I told Hartley we'd bring our own accommodation."

Both were understandably enthusiastic about finally getting the chance to use the top of the line 8x8 RV. It was selling remarkably well, various models having been purchased by adventurous millionaires who wanted to be able to keep up with the day to day operations of their companies, the mining, logging and construction industries and even by scientific expeditions. At first glance it seemed an unusual product for a computer company, but one easily understood after just one look inside. It had an extremely advanced central computer controlling everything from tire pressure to broadband satellite communications suite and all the rest in between, including a number of other computers.

"I call dibs on driving!" Morgan said enthusiastically.

"As much as I'd like to take advantage of you by agreeing to your request, I think it'd be better if we took shifts driving."

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Not to mention that Fort Irwin is not that far from LA, which means you just want to take a crack at driving the thing. Besides, you'll have more important things to worry about. I'm talking about Sarah Walker, of course."

"You should have let me call her. Who knows what she may be thinking about me now."

"Naw, she's cool. If you ask me, she's probably not called you for exactly the same reason."

"You think? Well, I guess we'll find out soon enough. First of all, we need to go home and pack."

"Meet you at the company parking garage in a couple of hours?"

"A couple of hours sounds just about right," Chuck agreed.

"Cool. Do you want me to get any special supplies?"

"I don't think so. But feel free to bring as much grape soda as you want."

-o-

The drive from LA to the Mojave Desert wasn't terribly long, and not exciting either. The personnel at the gate had been informed to expect them, so getting clearance to enter the base was a breeze. They were assigned a guide to take them to where the production camp had been set up, close to the perimeter of the base. It was sufficiently close to certain useful facilities, but sufficiently out of the way so as not to hinder normal operations there. The Army had even agreed to let the production company use an accurate replica of a typical forward operating base to film a few scenes on it. They followed the guide's Humvee to the camp, where he left them after honking his horn in salute, which was returned. Morgan then found a convenient parking spot right next to one of the trailers.

Sarah looked up from the script she'd been studying comfortably sprawled on a beach chair when something looking like a cross between a rock band tour bus and an all-terrain truck pulled up next to her trailer. Imagine her surprise when none other than Chuck stepped out of the vehicle. The surprise was mirrored on his face when he saw her under the awning of her trailer.

"Chuck!" Sarah exclaimed and jumped up, tossing the script on to the folding table nearby and running to him. They hugged tightly, having sorely missed each other. "Welcome to Fort Irwin. It sounds cliché, but… I missed you."

"I missed you too. But, you'll be seeing so much of me over the next few days that you'll grow sick of me."

"Never happen," she shot back resolutely. "Having a very special friend like you around here will make it so much easier."

He laughed and hugged her tighter to him. He didn't miss the gasp that escaped her lips. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm just a little stiff. Training can be brutal."

"I have the perfect solution to the problem." He guided her to sit back down on her beach chair. He'd do something he'd learned from his father. He stepped behind her and began gently massaging her shoulders.

"Oh, that feels amazing," Sarah moaned breathlessly, feeling the relief instantly.

"What are you doing?" Chuck asked as he saw her pick up the script again.

"I want to make damn sure I know my lines for tomorrow." She looked up at him. "But I don't know if I can concentrate with you doing what you're doing to me."

His hands moved to the back of her neck. "I'll have to adjust accordingly, then." He knew what he was doing. Sarah felt she could concentrate on the script, while enjoying the massage. Even though it was confined to her neck and shoulders, it turned out to be exactly what she needed. "What did you do today?"

"Casey had us practice counter ambush tactics, which was actually quite interesting. Plus, we got to rehearse one of the combat scenes. We'll be filming it in a couple of days, or maybe even tomorrow. It depends on whether we'll get the FOB scenes right early enough. Oh, and I was allowed to paint a set of Valkyrie wings on a vehicle."

"That was in the game!" Chuck exclaimed.

"I know," she said slyly. "I told the guy commanding one of the units that lent us the vehicles that Vikings used to get Valkyrie wing tattoos for protection. He said you can't have too many good luck charms while in-country."

"Another thing you picked up from the game."

"I also promised him to sign the dash when we're done. It's going to be the biggest thing I've ever autographed."

"Maybe I can find this vehicle and buy it once it's retired from service. It'll make a great decoration at Orion headquarters. The Valkyrie's ride… hopefully no one else will think of this. It'll be worth millions in no time at all."

"Or you can offer to buy the Army another, identical, one and use mine for the promotion of the movie."

He looked at her with pure admiration in his eyes. "Ingenious," he said simply.

"When you're in the industry, you pick up a few things about promoting movies."

Morgan walked up to them rubbing his hands. "I connected our ride to the electricity and water grids. I also checked the comms. We're good to go."

"Can I see it?" Sarah asked. "It's unlike any motor home I've ever seen and I've seen a lot."

"I'll give you the grand tour," Chuck volunteered happily.

-o-

"Charles, you did a great job helping the crew place the cameras in Sarah's vehicle," Hartley said while they were preparing to film a scene.

"Well, we're going to have multiple angles, so editing should be a breeze."

Hartley smiled and pressed a hand to his headset. "They're ready. We've got picture and sound. So… Action!"

-o-

Inside the hulking Maxxpro Dash MRAP…

"Lieutenant Anderson, can I ask you a question?"

Sarah, playing Eva "Valkyrie" Anderson, turned to face the driver. "Shoot, Hawkins."

"What exactly did you paint on the door? I noticed you've got the same design on some of your t-shirts."

"It's a Norse Valkyrie's wing. My family's lineage traces back to Scandinavia, Sweden to be precise. In Norse mythology, Valkyries were soldiers' angels, flying over the battlefield, choosing who would fall in battle, selecting half of those and taking them to the halls of Valhalla, where they would serve the god Odin and fight the final battle by his side. The Vikings used to have them tattooed on for good luck and protection."

"Well, Lieutenant, maybe a Valkyrie will take me to warrior's heaven if I fall in battle. What's the alternative, by the way?"

"The alternative would be spending the afterlife in the field ruled by the goddess Freya."

"You seem to know an awful lot about this, LT."

"It's my ancestors' history. In fact, my family name used to be spelled Andersson, with two esses. It lost one when it was Americanized."

"Interesting."

"Just keep your eyes on the road, Hawkins. We are getting close to a village. I don't want to incense the locals by getting into an accident."

-o-

"So far it's a perfect take," Hartley mused. "If they keep it up, we'll be able to do the first combat scene today."

"I'll keep my fingers crossed," Chuck said from beside him.

Eventually, it all went without a hitch. They managed to get quite a lot of usable footage, so Hartley was able to let the cast and crew go early. After turning in her equipment, taking a quick shower and changing, Sarah went to the laundry trailer to leave her grimy and sweat soaked uniform. The wardrobe department would give her another one in the morning.

At dinner, she sat with Chuck, Morgan, Hartley, Casey and one of her co-stars, who was playing the male lead. The main topic of discussion, other than how their families were doing, was the scene they'd be filming the following morning. It was one of the most intense – and difficult – action sequences in the game, and Chuck thought that the screenwriter had done an excellent job adapting it for the silver screen. Once again, Sarah insisted on doing the scene from the beginning to the end without a stunt double. As she told the others, her years of martial arts and dance training made her more than capable of doing it and doing it well. Besides, they had already done some preliminary work on the scene after wrapping up the day's filming and the cast members taking part in it knew their places.

That night, while everyone was asleep, a lone figure slunk in the shadows and approached the armory trailers. Climbing on top of it, the man opened an unsecured skylight and dropped inside. Using a hooded flashlight, he found one particular weapon. He knew exactly which one he was after, as he'd noted it while observing the rehearsal from a nearby hill using a high-powered telescope.

He fiddled with it for a minute, replacing something with an identical item before clambering on the roof of the trailer again and dropping lightly to the ground, after making sure that the patrolling security guards were in another part of the camp. They weren't expecting anyone messing with the armory, as they'd been told to be on the lookout for paparazzi looking for an easy scoop. The man smiled evilly, before carefully leaving the camp and heading back to his hilltop vantage point. Tomorrow, he'd have a front row seat to watch Sarah Walker's death from. He laughed maniacally when he reached his hideout. His wife had no idea where he was. She thought he'd gone fishing with friends out of state. No one would know. Revenge would be his.

-o-

"Are we good to go?" Hartley asked his assistant.

"Everything and everyone is in place, Boss." The assistant consulted her clipboard. "Oh, and Mr. Bartowski is handling the fitting of the helmet and gun cams himself. It's going to have a genuine first person shooter feel to it, he says."

"If he says so, then you gotta believe him. I've known his father for about thirty years now and I've known Charles since he was born. There are few things those two can't do."

"Shall we begin, then?"

"As soon as Casey gives the all clear."

At first it all progressed as intended. The convoy stopped near the facsimile of an Afghan village, the passengers dismounted and proceeded to patrol on foot. The cameras followed them, until they reached a bend in the road, which was actually little more than a rough dirt trail. More cameras had been set up there, as it was the designated scene of an ambush. In addition to the cameras, several extras dressed as Taliban fighters were lurking among the rocks. When Hartley gave the signal, all hell broke loose. In fact, the mayhem and confusion had been elaborately orchestrated and meticulously rehearsed.

"I'm impressed," an Army Colonel told Hartley. "Your people are actually reacting to the ambush just like our people would."

"Our consultant and his assistants were quite thorough in preparing the cast members for this." Hartley refocused on the combat scene. The 'fighting' was taking place in such close range that in addition to firearms, the 'combatants' also used bayonets, knives, and even their bare fists.

In the middle of it, Sarah reloaded her weapon, popped up from behind a rock and 'picked off' a couple of the 'bad guys' with fast but well aimed shots. A 'Taliban' suddenly appeared to her front on the left and cut loose with his garishly decorated AK-47. She cried out in pain and fell to the ground.

"Aw, fuck," she ground out through clenched teeth, for the benefit of the microphone in her gear. The truth was that it hurt like hell. And it wasn't supposed to.

On camera, it all appeared very realistic. She got up, retrieved her weapon and got back in the fray. Not long later, the scene was over. Hartley and the others who'd been watching from the director's position cheered enthusiastically. They had a perfect take, again.

Chuck noticed Sarah hobbling back to the vehicles like she was in pain and ran to her. "Sarah, are you OK? Did you fall down on a rock or something?"

"No, but I think the visual effects people kinda overdid it when they put the popper in my vest. It still hurts."

"What? It's not supposed to hurt. It's only intended to muck up the outside of the vest a little." He took a closer look at Sarah's vest and paled. "CASEY!"

Casey came running. "What is it, Bartowski?"

"Check the weapon of the guy that shot Sarah. Something must have broken off and hit her, luckily on her vest."

"Wait here."

"OK." He guided Sarah to sit down on the boarding step of a vehicle and helped her take off her outer tactical vest. She winced in pain and he noticed. "Unbutton your shirt and pull out your t-shirt."

"Chuck, I'm sure it's nothing."

"Please, I just want to make sure you'll be okay." He lifted the hem of her t-shirt and gasped when he saw the bruise on her body, just below the ribcage.

"There's nothing wrong with the weapon, I checked," Casey reported back. And then he too saw the bruise. "Shit. This can't have been caused by a squib. Gimme her vest."

"Talk to me, people, what's going on down there?" Hartley bellowed.

"Have someone collect all the spent casings and bring them to me immediately. I think something may have malfunctioned," Casey yelled back.

Hartley gave the necessary instructions. Casey pulled a Gerber knife from a pouch on his belt, flicked open the blade and dug into Sarah's vest. Something was dislodged and fell off. Chuck managed to grab it.

"Casey, what is this?" He took a closer look. "Is it what I think it is?"

"It looks like a bullet, all right," Casey replied somberly, after taking the small object and examining it carefully.

"They were supposed to be using blanks!" Chuck hissed angrily. "Someone could have gotten hurt!"

"Bartowski…"

"WHAT?"

"I don't think this was just a simple error in logistics."

"You mean it was done deliberately?"

"Yes. Look at this. It's not a garden variety bullet. It's made of hard metal, either steel or tungsten. It was designed to penetrate body armor, Bartowski."

"Then why didn't it?"

"All I can offer right now is a guess." Seeing Chuck nod, Casey continued. "Whoever did this was very smart, but stupid at the same time. He cut the bullet down to make it fit inside the neck of a casing, so that no one would notice. But cutting it down also fucked up the ballistics, as it was unbalanced. Instead of flying true, it began to wobble while still inside the barrel and began tumbling the instant it came out. Because of the extra propellant crammed in blank cartridges to make a nice flash and produce sufficient blowback to work the gun's mechanism, it still had enough energy to damage Walker's vest, but it didn't hit it with the pointy end. If it had, she'd be dead."

"Then someone was trying to kill her."

"Or trying to ruin your movie, Bartowski," Casey offered another explanation. "It could have been anyone in her place."

"Casey, someone broke into her apartment back in LA, before the filming began. Some think that whoever did it wanted to break into Sarah's sister's place. She's a DEA agent. Now, I'm not sure. Maybe I was right."

"Right about what?"

"Someone could be stalking Sarah."

"Well, there is no shortage of fucked up wackos in this world."

"Thanks. The others, including the cops, dismissed it almost out of hand."

"You are welcome. Call Walker's sister. Let her know what happened. I'll deal with Hartley and the MPs. We're on an Army facility, so we'll have to involve them, too." He shook his head. "She was damn lucky to be wearing real body armor…" he muttered.

"OK." He made the call. Carina, as expected, was furious. She yelled at him not to let Sarah out of his sight until she got there.

Hartley gave Sarah the rest of the day off. Chuck immediately took her to the base infirmary, where an Army doctor checked her out and gave her a clean bill of health.

"All things considered, I think it'd be better if you stayed in my RV, Sarah," Chuck told her. "Before you argue, it'll make me feel a lot better."

"He's right," Morgan said. "I can sleep in your trailer tonight." He held up a bag. "Chuck gave me a heads-up while you were at the doctor's. I'm already packed. You guys stay here. I'll bring you dinner."

"Thanks," Chuck and Sarah said in unison. When Morgan left, Chuck showed her around the motor home. They sat down on the couch and he turned to her. "How are you feeling? Does it still hurt?"

"A little," she admitted.

"Let me know if there is anything I can help you with."

That did it. She closed the distance between them and pressed her lips against his. He was surprised, but returned it, just as chastely. But then she grabbed him, pulled him closer and deepened the kiss. Their tongues dueled and they tasted each other hungrily. When the lack of air forced them to break it off, their hearts were both beating madly.

"I'm not complaining, mind you, but what was that for, Sarah?"

"For being a great guy, Chuck," she replied and pressed her body to his, tucking her head beneath his chin. He just wrapped his arms around her and hugged her to him, not wanting to let her go.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: **This was finished 24 hours earlier than originally expected. But then again, it practically wrote itself. I have you to thank for a large part of this. You keep me inspired. Well, enjoy the chapter. The next one will have more action, I promise.

* * *

"Sis, wake up and open the damn door! Sarah!" Carina yelled and pounded her fist on the door of Sarah's trailer. She pulled back a bit and tapped a foot impatiently on the hard ground. Then the door swung open. "Finally," she began but then trailed off. "You're not Sarah," she told the short bearded man who'd just answered the door.

"No, as you can see, I'm not," he replied sleepily.

"Right, you're Chucky's friend Martin."

"Close enough," Morgan said. "My name is actually Morgan, Morgan Grimes. You must be Sarah's sister."

"Carina Miller… I mean, Carina Walker. Forget the Miller part, it's part of the job." She shook his hand. "Where is my sister?"

"I'm right here," Sarah said from behind Carina. Carina whirled around and saw Sarah leaning out of a side window of the fancy RV parked next to the trailer. "Chuck thought it'd be safer for me in here. And what are you doing here at this ungodly hour?" The question was followed by a yawn.

"I told you I'd be coming here, didn't I?"

"You didn't say anything about dropping by at five in the morning."

"Hey Carina, welcome to Fort Irwin," Chuck said from another window. Sarah thought he was unnaturally chipper given how early it still was, but said nothing.

"Chucky, hi. Can I come in?"

"Sure, gimme a moment to unlock the door. I'll make you some coffee, too. Any preferences?"

"I'd kill for a nice iced coffee," Carina replied.

"Two iced coffees coming right up. Sarah, I assume you want one as well."

"Go back to sleep, Chuck, no need to bother on our account. I can make the coffees."

"Nonsense, it's no trouble at all."

Carina climbed up the steps and entered the RV. She looked around in wonder. For the life of her she never expected to find such luxury and functionality in a motor home. Then she focused on her baby sister. Sarah was leaning against a bulkhead, watching Chuck make iced coffees. And she was wearing an oversized Harvard Crimson t-shirt and little else. Chuck, on the other hand, was more conservative in his sleepwear choice, having on a Stanford t-shirt and pajama pants.

"There you go, ladies." He handed the girls two tall glasses full of delicious iced coffee. "There are cookies in the cupboard. Home made, my sister baked them."

"Thanks Chuck. You should really try and get some more sleep though. Carina and I will take it outside."

"Or you can use the office."

"The office will do just fine," Sarah said, shooting a meaningful look at her sister. They'd both love to watch a desert sunrise, but not this time. Sarah led the way to the small but well appointed office, plopped down in a revolving armchair and folded her long legs under her.

Carina took the other chair and commenced the interrogation. "You and Chuck," she said bluntly. "You've made progress."

"I thought you came here for another reason."

"Still, it's surprising to see you in so little. Let me guess: when you spent the night at Chuck's a few days ago, you were wearing pajamas. My question is: which ones?"

"How do you know what I would wear?"

"I know you. That should suffice. And you'd choose to be modest at the time."

"The blue satin set," Sarah replied.

"Good choice. Sufficiently modest, while hinting seductively at what's underneath. But your current outfit… Tell me, exactly how much progress did you and Chucky make?"

"I kissed him," Sarah confessed shyly, almost timidly, looking down at her hands, a small smile playing on her lips and when she raised her head, her eyes were sparkling as she replayed the scene in her head. After all, it was a very nice memory.

"Say that again!" Carina exclaimed enthusiastically.

"I kissed him. He was so worried and sweet and considerate yesterday and I couldn't hold myself."

"Did he kiss you back?"

Sarah nodded, still smiling. "He most definitely did."

"What happened next?"

"We talked, I took a shower and we went to bed. Separately."

"Again, you disappoint me. But knowing you, the progress is monumental. Come here." She pulled Sarah into a big hug. "I'm glad you're okay, kiddo."

"Thank you. Ow!"

"What?"

"It's still a little sore," she replied, referring to the bruise on her body.

"Let me see it." Carina pulled the hem of Sarah's t-shirt up, exposing the bruise. "You were damn lucky. Chuck told me everything in detail, but I had to see it with my own two eyes."

"Casey explained what happened. Apparently the bullet was unable to stabilize itself. Otherwise, it would have easily penetrated my vest, in which case I wouldn't be here talking to you."

"How the hell did this all happen? How could this guy have put a bullet in a blank cartridge?"

"Chuck, Casey, some MPs and Graham's security guys investigated. Apparently, whoever did this entered through the skylight of the armory trailer. Before you ask, they dusted for prints and didn't find any. Whoever did this was very careful. As to how he got here, well, the base facilities are well guarded. The open desert is not, there is no need to."

"I'm going to have a little talk with whoever's in charge. I want to know exactly how this investigation is being handled. If necessary, I'll use and abuse my federal agent status to get some hard answers," Carina said determinedly. "But my immediate concern is to avoid a repeat performance."

"Hartley decided to do some of the remaining FOB scenes today. Therefore, Casey and his assistants will be free to check the blanks for any tampering, while Chuck will rig a new alarm system in the trailers housing the armory. Right now, we're keeping everything under wraps. Fortunately, Casey knows the base deputy commander. They met in Afghanistan and he agreed to help. The last thing we need is for this to become public knowledge. The MPs also made some discreet inquiries with the Sheriff's department, to see if they noticed anything suspicious in the area."

"Looks like they have everything covered. But I'll feel a lot better if you had some extra protection." Carina rummaged blindly into her handbag and pulled out a box.

"Are you serious?" Sarah hissed. "Sex is the last thing on my mind right now!"

Carina finally noticed that she'd pulled a box of condoms. "Well, keep them. Who knows when you and Chuck may need them," she whispered conspiratorially. "Anyway, what I actually wanted to give you is this." She pulled another box out and gave it to her sister.

Sarah opened it and found a Smith & Wesson 5906 pistol with spare mags inside. "You're giving me a gun?"

"Yes. I made sure you got a concealed carry permit for it, too. Have it on you at all times. As a matter of fact, I got you two guns. There is an identical one in my car."

"Isn't that overkill?"

"Better safe than sorry, little sis. It's not like you can't handle a gun. I taught you myself. Plus, you had other good weapons instructors for your movie roles."

"Thanks, I guess."

"You are welcome. Now tell me, how are you holding up? I mean, someone is out to kill you. It must be affecting you."

"It's funny, but I'm fine. I would have freaked out normally, but as it happened I freaked out by proxy."

"What are you talking about, Sarah?"

"Chuck freaked out for the both of us. It was kind of funny, so it helped. And now, we'll be ready if whoever did this tries anything else. Freaking out is not an option."

"If you ever get cast to play in a horror movie, you should use that line," Carina laughed and Sarah laughed right along with her.

"By the way, how did you manage to talk your boss into giving you time off? And I appreciate you using your vacation days to help me."

"Oh, I just passed it as part of the investigation into the break-in at your place, specifically about someone going after you to get to me. He agreed to let me investigate without a fuss. I'm here on official DEA business, at least on paper."

-o-

"Fuck! No! This can't be happening! The bitch survived without a scratch and now she's acting like nothing happened!" The stalker could clearly see Sarah Walker through his telescope as she made her way to wardrobe and makeup in order to get ready for another day of filming. His rage increased as he watched her talk animatedly to two people, a strawberry blonde and that pesky geek, who were walking with her. His phone buzzed and he angrily punched the accept button. "WHAT?"

"Daniel, honey, did I catch you at a bad time?"

"No, my line just snagged on something and I was trying to free it."

"Oh. Well, I just called to see how you're doing. I miss you."

"I miss you too, Eve," he replied automatically, but with no feeling. "We'll be heading back tonight, so I'll see you later."

"I'll be waiting. I love you."

"Love you too, Eve." At least the part about heading back to LA was true. He couldn't do anything, not with the increased security at the camp and on set. He'd just have to find another way to kill her. An evil thought passed through his troubled mind. Maybe, just maybe he could practice on his wife. Of course, it would have to look like an accident or a random violent act, a mugging gone wrong, for example. The fact that he would inherit her money also added to the appeal of it all. Thus cheered up, he packed his things into the car and drove off. He had a lot of planning to do and equipment to acquire.

-o-

The scene they were shooting was one of the most emotional in the game. In it, Lieutenant Anderson and the others were paying their respects to a fallen comrade, who had been killed in action the previous day. They were heading back to their huts after the brief memorial service when PFC Hawkins spoke up.

"Lieutenant, remember what you told me the other day? The thing about men fallen in battle going to a warrior's heaven? Do you think Rod would make the cut?"

"Yeah," she replied. "In Valhalla, Rod would definitely fit right in. I'd take him there myself."

"Huh?"

"My callsign," she explained. "It's Valkyrie, remember?"

"Oh, right, you mean the part about taking the dead to Valhalla."

"Exactly," Anderson confirmed. In reality, she would indeed take the fallen man's soul to Valhalla and let him join the ranks of the einherjar. And she knew Rod would like it, too.

"He asked me to organize a farewell party in his memory if he bought the farm, you know, Lieutenant. We'll drink to him and we're gonna do it tonight. Are you in?"

"Of course I'm in, Hawkins. Rod was a good man. He deserves a good send-off."

"OKAY, CUT!" Hartley called. "Nicely done, people. Get out of this sun and find some shade. We'll continue with the resupply scene in thirty minutes, when the Army helicopter arrives."

Sarah made a beeline for a tent and gratefully accepted a can of soda from Chuck, nodding her thanks. Carina also joined them.

"You know, Sarah, it's the first time ever I've seen you on set. You really did a good job. Hell, I almost believed you were really an Army officer."

"Thanks, sis. But I can't take all the credit. Everyone contributed to the realism of the end result."

Chuck stood by and watched the interaction between the girls, until Casey arrived. He'd been in the armory all morning. "Give us the good news, big guy."

"We checked every blank round we had in the opened boxes. None had been tampered with, and the closed boxes are still sealed. We found no tampering on them either."

"Johnny?" Carina asked, surprised to see Casey.

"Miller? What the fuck are you doing here?" Then he put two and two together. "Your name is not really Miller. It's Walker. You are Walker's sister."

"Guilty as charged," she smiled. "You're not still mad about Prague, are you?"

"What happened in Prague?" Chuck asked innocently. Casey just glared at him and growled menacingly. "I need not know what happened in Prague."

"Come on Johnny, back then I didn't know you were married."

"I still am, no thanks to you," he replied.

"Carina, you didn't try to sleep with Casey, did you?"

"No, I just pulled a little prank on him. We were both liaising with the Czechs, who were preparing a contingent for Afghanistan and… well, let's just say I played a little prank on him. I thought it would turn out to be harmless, but I didn't reckon on his wife calling him on Skype. And it was a video call."

"Ouch," Sarah said. "Casey, you have my complete sympathy. My sister's pranks do have the potential to go awry. I'm speaking from bitter experience."

"That's an understatement," Casey grumbled. "But in the end, my wife got a good laugh out of the whole deal when she learned the truth, so no harm was done."

"Frankly, I felt bad about it. I'm not a homewrecker, Casey. I'll apologize to your wife in person if I ever meet her."

-o-

Carina stayed long enough to get the rundown on the investigation's progress, or lack thereof. Chuck had suggested that she stay with Sarah in his RV, but she immediately nixed the idea, saying the trailer would do just fine. Morgan didn't mind having a roommate either. Secretly, both had the same goal: having Chuck and Sarah living under the same roof, which would definitely help things along on the relationship front.

Three days later, both Carina and Morgan agreed that Chuck and Sarah had really settled into a comfortable cohabitating routine. The only disagreement was about whether to give them a push to add a most satisfying physical component to the relationship. Carina wanted to do it, but Morgan thought it'd be better to let things evolve naturally.

"You'll ruin everything. Chuck is not the type to press the issue and I guess your sister is not exactly one to jump in the sack with any guy that catches her fancy. No, we mustn't do anything to scare them," Morgan argued.

"Morgan," Carina said, calling Morgan by his correct name instead of Martin, to drive the point home. "We'll be dead and buried ourselves before either she or he screws up the courage to take the next step."

"Come on, you know perfectly well how much they like each other. They are bound to take the next step and they'll do it soon, probably sooner than either you or I expect."

"No matter what happens, I want you to keep me informed of any and all developments. You have my number and my email address. Since I'm satisfied she's going to be safe, I'll be heading back to LA tomorrow as planned. And please stress the importance of not relaxing security here to Chuck and everyone else."

"You don't have to worry on that score. We both have a vested interest into keeping the two of them safe. You probably know what else I'm gonna tell you, but I'm gonna say it anyway: They're not going to do much before principal photography wraps and the movie goes to editing. They're too professional for that and they don't want to screw it up. This movie is a labor of love for them. Besides, at the end of the day, they are too tired to do anything else but take a quick shower and get some sleep."

"I noticed. Why?"

"We are filming on an active military base. The Army allowed us here on the proviso that we don't disrupt operations. Therefore, everything has to be done in a fraction of the time it would normally take. Fortunately, Hartley is an excellent taskmaster. Things will be more relaxed once we're done shooting on this location and move it back to the studio and the housing area of a disused military base."

"Duly noted," Carina said. "I still expect to see progress though."

"We'll talk about it in the morning. Goodnight Carina."

"Goodnight."

-o-

Sarah woke up in the morning feeling very well. The beds in the RV were far more comfortable than the one in her trailer. She kicked the covers off of her and got up, cheerfully humming a tune. And then she happened to glance out the window while reaching for her watch, which was on the nightstand.

Chuck was also awake and was heading towards the bathroom when he heard something from Sarah's room. It sounded like a hoarse, half-choked scream. Without thinking, he barged inside and found her sitting on the bed, a look of shock on her face, staring sightlessly at the floor. "Sarah! What happened?"

She wordlessly lifted her arm and pointed her thumb in the direction of the trailer next door. But as Chuck tried to move to the window and get a look, she stopped him. "Don't. I'm probably scarred for life. I don't want you to have to go through this, too."

"Huh?"

"This window offers a direct view to my trailer's bedroom. And… um… I saw them. My sister and your best friend between the sheets. Together."

"Were they…?"

"No, they're still asleep. Covered too, fortunately."

"Huh. Morgan doesn't seem to be your sister's type."

"Carina doesn't have a particular type when it comes to men. But, objectively speaking, Morgan is not bad looking and he's a great guy to boot. Both the above had to count a lot with her."

"OK. This won't be mentioned again. By the way, coffee should be ready soon. I was going to shave, but if you want to use the bathroom first…"

"I'll only be a minute. When I get out, I expect to have a nice big cup of coffee waiting for me. Today is going to be another long day."

"Sure. Shaving can wait. It's really a bore."

"I like you better when you're shaved," she called just before the bathroom door closed behind her. He just stared at it for a second, glanced at the window, shook his head and went back to the kitchenette.

-o-

"Good morning," Carina said and yawned.

"Morning." Morgan had a shit eating grin on his face as he lay in bed, hands clasped behind his head, the very picture of relaxation and contentment. Last night had been amazing. Fortunately, given how hard they were working, both Chuck and Sarah were heavy sleepers and didn't hear a thing. "How are you?"

"I'm great. I mean, I may have had better, but not many and not by much. You're definitely in my top 10." She knew how to stroke a man's ego while keeping him grounded at the same time.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Shoot."

"Why is this guy, whoever he is, going after Sarah?"

"He's a psycho. He doesn't need a reason. Now that you mention it, I have to talk to her about it. Most stalkers can't even tie their own shoelaces, but this one managed to sneak in and plant a hand made bullet in a blank cartridge. He's smart, really smart, even if his plan failed to work."

"I think I can see where you're going. He must have somehow attempted to contact Sarah in the past and when she ignored him he went ballistic."

"Pretty much," she agreed and bounded out of bed to get dressed. A few minutes later, they were all having breakfast at a table set up between the RV and the trailer. After some small talk, Carina steered the conversation where she wanted it. "Sarah, I want you to think real hard. Has anyone attempted to contact you recently and you blew him off?"

Sarah thought for a minute. "No, I can't say I have noticed anything like that. Besides, my fan mail is being routed through my agent's office. I saw nothing suspicious on my website or social media, either. Maybe it's someone who wants to win the dead pool."

"The what now?"

Chuck took the cue. "Sarah is well known for doing almost all her stunts without a double. People are betting on whether this will get her killed. She could be right, you know. Instead of a psycho, it could be someone who bet money on her getting killed while is making a movie. And he wants to make sure he wins."

"That's cold, dude," Morgan commented.

"Nah, it just goes to prove people are capable of anything."

"Still, it warrants further investigation. I don't believe I'd never heard about this dead pool until now," Carina said.

"I only heard of it because I'm in the biz," Sarah clarified.

"Prudence dictates that both avenues of investigation be pursued. I'll look into the dead pool thing. I'll probably have to twist a few arms to get straight answers, but I'll worry about that when the time comes. Now, are you sure you've not been getting any messages from secret admirers and stuff?"

"No, I check my mail thoroughly. There was nothing out of the ordinary, just the usual bills, et cetera, and the expected junk mail." She laughed. "I thought that, with the Internet, junk mail would see a decline, but apparently I was wrong. They're still sending letters about anything and everything. I even got letters advertising a dating service. You didn't send those by any chance?"

"No, I have other far more subtle methods I can use where you're concerned, little sis," Carina said and winked at Sarah. A runner came to tell them that they'd be starting the day's work soon. "I have to be going as well. Let me know if you recall anything, OK?"

"Sure. See you back in LA in a few days."

"Take care, sis. You guys don't let her out of your sight."

"We won't," Chuck and Morgan chorused. Carina hugged her sister, shook hands with the guys, got in her car and drove off.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** As you may have realized, the previous chapter was more of a filler in preparation for this one. I'm glad you liked it though. Hopefully, you'll like this one just as much, especially since it has considerable plot advancement. I won't say more so as not to spoil it for you. Note that the events in it take place a few days after those of the previous chapter.

* * *

"What's our progress so far?" Casey asked during a staff meeting.

"This is the last day here, hopefully," Chuck replied. "The rotation schedule for shooting the scenes works like a dream. There are just two left to do and we'll be done today if all goes well."

"Everyone is doing their best," Casey admitted. "They understand what has to be done and how it has to be done. I have no complaints at all."

"From what I see here you have a meeting with the cast to brief them for their last scenes here," Hartley said, consulting a schedule.

"It's merely a formality. They know exactly what they have to do, especially Walker. She's the one setting the example for the others to follow. If you'll excuse me, I have a briefing to give."

"By all means," Hartley said affably and turned to Chuck. "So far we have plenty of good footage. Say we wrap it up today. I'll send the cast back to LA and stay here with the crew to help break camp. In the meantime, Sarah can study for the second Valhalla scene with Magnus. Tell him I'll be sending him some extras to coach in Old Norse. I don't want much. Just have him teach them some phrases. What am I saying? You know what needs to be done better than anyone."

"Still, it's good to have someone else keeping an eye on the big picture."

-o-

Casey was going over some details with the cast. Chuck and Hartley had had an idea about adding a scene about the departure from the FOB on the journey home. It had been added to the script a few days previously and now Casey was telling them about end-of-tour habits service members tended to develop. They were laughing at a particularly funny detail of his last tour in Afghanistan when a small redheaded woman in an Air Force uniform walked in. Casey was the first to see her.

"General on deck," he bellowed. It was a testament to the training he'd given his charges that they instantly stood and snapped to attention. He gave the General a sharp salute, which she returned.

"As you were," she said. Sarah and the other actors immediately relaxed. "Colonel Casey, this is quite a surprise."

"It's been a while, General. It's nice seeing you again."

"Likewise, John. So, I see you've turned your people into soldiers. For a moment there I was sure I'd walked into a real military briefing room."

"For those of you slow in getting subtext, the General just complimented you on your military bearing. Congratulations, people."

"Sir, thank you sir," they all yelled in unison.

"At ease," he said smiling.

"Don't let me keep you," General Beckman said. "If you have a moment, come see my in my office, Colonel. We can talk about old times."

"Yes ma'am." He didn't have to command the others to stand to attention when the General left. He'd trained them too well.

-o-

Lieutenant Anderson did a last check to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything. Her bags were all packed and her gear secured. Today she and those of her men who'd finished their tours would be flying to Bagram on the first leg of the long journey home. She, Hawkins and a couple of others trudged out of their barracks lugging their stuff. But they didn't go straight to the helipad. They made a stop in front of the Wall of Honor first, where the fallen from their and other units from the base were listed. They stood in respectful silence, thinking about their fallen comrades. The Valkyrie had already decided who would be taken to Valhalla to become einherjar and lightly touched the photos of the men she'd chosen. The beat of helicopter rotors snapped them out of their reverie. Their ride was coming.

"Saddle up, people," Anderson commanded. "You know the drill."

"Welcome aboard Black Cat Two-Eight," the crew chief of the huge CH-47F said, loud enough to be heard over the noise of the engines. "Take your seats and buckle up. We expect to have a pleasant flight to Bagram, with minimal to nonexistent enemy fire, but there will be some turbulence. Puke bags are under your seats. There's no shame in using them, people."

The crew and passengers secured the outbound cargo to the floor and then assumed positions for takeoff. The huge bird lifted off and cleared the dust cloud, gaining altitude quickly. The door gunners were alert for any signs of enemy activity.

"All that's missing now is the Ride of the Valkyries playing," Hawkins told Anderson.

"We're not en route to an assault landing, Hawkins. For this flight, Little Richard's Long Tall Sally or the Rolling Stones' Paint It Black would suffice," she replied.

"I stand corrected, LT."

-o-

A camera crew was waiting when the helicopter landed to film the cast members disembarking. Then they all piled into a bus after giving autographs to the chopper and helipad crews and returned to the area allocated to the production company for the filming.

"It's official," Hartley announced. "We're finally done here. People, you've done the impossible. It would have normally taken a lot more time to do what we all accomplished here in a remarkably short time. Today, the cast and nonessential crew will be returning to LA. Get some rest, because the movie is not yet finished, not by a long shot. I'll be seeing you guys soon. Go ahead and pack, go home and have a good time. You've earned it."

Everyone cheered upon hearing Hartley's praise before dispersing and going to perform their assigned tasks or simply to pack for the trip back. After turning in her gear at props and wardrobe, Sarah hitched a ride on a passing pickup truck to Chuck's RV, where she'd been staying since the attempt on her life. She took a quick shower and changed into a comfortable sundress and sandals. Chuck was checking water and oil levels in the radiator and engine, and Morgan would be there soon for the drive back to LA. First, she made sure her things were packed and secured in the baggage holders of the RV. Chuck's were already packed and so were Morgan's. Out of her most recently acquired habit, she checked her gun and put it back inside her handbag. Ever since Carina had given it to her, she'd had it within easy reach, even though Chuck and the security guys were on high alert.

"Are we good to go?" Morgan asked, bringing his luggage in from Sarah's trailer.

"Chuck has called dibs on driving, just so you know," she informed him. "Yes, we're good."

"Fantastic. Just let me leave my stuff. How did today's filming go?"

"Everyone did a great job, like always. Even though I don't usually watch movies I'm in too much, this one will warrant an exception. It will also be a reminder of the new performance standards I'll have to meet, since it could easily be my best movie yet."

"Chuck will be thrilled to hear that. This movie means so much to him."

"Let's go," Chuck said, entering the air conditioned comfort of the RV, before Morgan had a chance to continue the conversation. He got in the driver's seat and fired up the powerful turbo diesel engine.

"This looks almost like the cockpit of a spaceship," Sarah commented.

"You're closer to the truth than you think," Morgan chuckled.

"What's he talking about, Chuck?"

"I modeled the driver's position after the cockpit of the Serenity." He glanced at Sarah and saw her puzzled look. "It was the spaceship from the movie of the same name and the show that preceded it, Firefly," he explained. "Don't tell me you haven't caught even one episode!"

"I haven't," she admitted. "But it sounds interesting. Has to be for you to use it as an inspiration for your design."

"That's it. We'll be having a Firefly/Serenity marathon at the earliest opportunity."

"I'll be looking forward to it," Sarah said. Then she saw something on one of the display screens. "What's this?"

"It's the feed from the surveillance cameras. They're tied to the traffic warning system and the cruise control. But this time, we're using them for early warning of suspicious activity."

"So you have everything covered."

"I like to think so. By the way, I talked to my Dad a few days ago. And it just so happened to mention your idea about buying the MRAP from the Army."

"What did he have to say?"

"It's probably en route to Orion as we speak."

"Come again?" Sarah wasn't sure if she'd heard him right.

"Dad got the Army to agree to the exchange. Before you ask, he can pull a lot of strings, considering Orion is one of the premier suppliers of high end specialized electronics to various branches of the government, the military included."

"I'm most definitely impressed."

"You should be," he said and winked at her, earning a light slap on the shoulder. "Hey! Don't hit the driver!"

"Sorry," she said, quite unconvincingly. Then she relaxed and just enjoyed the ride.

"Can I ask you something, Sarah?" Chuck said after a few minutes of silence.

"Sure, go ahead."

"I was wondering… Since we don't have any filming scheduled for the rest of the week and Magnus will be unavailable for a couple of days, would you like to go out for dinner or drinks with me?"

"You mean, if I would like to go out on a date with you?"

"It won't have to be a date, not if you don't want it to."

"It's a date, Chuck. Dinner and drinks should do nicely. Just drop me off at my place to get ready."

"What time do you want me to pick you up?"

"I'll come to your place. My parents live really close to you and I want to go see them first."

"Okie-dokie," he said agreeably. His brain was on overdrive, already planning their evening out. He wanted to make it as enjoyable as possible for her. He also knew she'd prefer to keep it low key, so he'd have to pick the restaurant and the club very carefully.

Unbeknownst to Chuck and Sarah, Morgan had heard everything. Moving stealthily farther back inside the RV, he fished his phone out of a pocket and fired off a text message to Carina: "C&S dinner/drinks date tonight. Details & updates to follow soon."

The reply wasn't long in coming: "Good news re: C&S. Be sure to drop the right hints with C. I'll do the same with S. Planning to ambush her at home. Keep me posted. XOXO, Carina."

Morgan knew what he had to do and to achieve his end he'd use other people as mostly unknowing but willing participants. The rest of the drive to LA was very peaceful. They didn't even run into heavy traffic. Throughout the time, Chuck and Sarah were flirting lightly but relentlessly. Morgan was sure he'd develop diabetes if he had to listen to another hour of this. Fortunately, it lasted only until they dropped Sarah off at the Maison 23. Then they left the RV at the huge parking garage at Orion and took Chuck's car. Morgan had left his at Chuck's.

Ellie and Awesome also happened to be coming home from work and ran into Chuck and Morgan in the courtyard. Having missed her little brother and even his furry friend, Ellie was quite enthusiastic in greeting them. Devon was more restrained, but happy to see them nonetheless.

"So, tell us, how was it on set?" Ellie asked as they were all entering Chuck's place.

"Forget about the set for the moment," Morgan said. "I have far more interesting news to tell you." He waited until he was sure he had his audience's undivided attention. "Chuck's got a date tonight!"

"Way to go bro, that's awesome," Devon enthused.

"Date?" Ellie echoed. "With whom?"

"With none other than the lovely Sarah Walker," Morgan supplied.

"What are you going to wear?" Ellie immediately asked. Chuck could only shrug helplessly.

In the meantime, Carina had taken it upon herself to get Sarah ready for the date with Chuck. She'd already drawn a warm bath for her, including salts and scented candles, and had even picked out a suitable outfit; not just the dress, but also the lingerie, shoes and clutch. Of course, she'd pretended to be pleasantly surprised when Sarah mentioned going out with Chuck in the evening.

"Here," Carina said, handing Sarah a tall glass with an ice cold fruit cocktail. "You said you'll be driving, so no wine for you… yet.

"Thanks," Sarah replied. She was luxuriating in her bathtub, happy in the anticipation of seeing her parents and going out with Chuck.

"So tell me, how were things at Fort Irwin after I left? I know you and Chucky spent a lot of time in that amazing motor home of his. How is he as a roommate?"

"He's the perfect roommate. He always cleans up after himself, but I wonder if parading in front of him in very little clothing was too much."

"Nonsense, he's a man. Even if he's a very decent man, he must have enjoyed the show. Did you kiss him again?"

"No. I mean, yes, but not on the lips."

"Typical," Carina muttered. "You always do that, taking one step forward and two steps back. Now get out of the tub before you get all shriveled. We have to work on your hair and makeup. Everything needs to be perfect."

-o-

Sarah had dropped by her parents' to see them and catch up with them. When her mother asked her who she'd dolled up for, she'd blushed and told them about her date with Chuck. Of course, both Jack and Emma Walker had heard him mentioned several times before, by both their daughters. In addition, Emma knew Stephen J. Bartowski and his wife, having met them at a chamber of commerce function. They'd given her the impression of being a couple of very good people and she had no doubt their son would be the same. After all, Carina, not usually one to give praise, had been telling them how amazing the young Chuck Bartowski was and how nice he and Sarah were together.

She left her car at her parents' and walked the short distance to Chuck's. He was rendered speechless the moment he answered the door, taking in the sight of her in a one-piece short black dress, high heeled sandals, a matching clutch and modest makeup and jewelry. In turn, she could not but admire him in his dark jeans and shirt.

"You're right on time," he finally managed to say. "And… wow, you look stunning tonight."

"You look great yourself, Chuck."

"Shall we?" He offered her his arm and she took it. "By the way, are you packing tonight?" He was referring of course to her gun, as she'd told him all about it.

"Yes, I've got it in my purse."

He held the door of the car open for her, as usual, then got in and drove off. It was an indication of how much she trusted him that she didn't ask where they were going.

"I hope you enjoy Chinese," he said. "Because we are going to a great little place I know."

"Knowing you, I'm sure it's going to be great."

-o-

She'd been right. The place was amazing. It wasn't a big restaurant and was off the beaten track. It was quiet, with soft lighting with light music playing in the background. The best thing, of course, was the food.

"This has to be the best duck I've ever eaten," she said enthusiastically. "And the rest is just as good. How did you learn about this place, anyway?"

"Morgan," he replied. "The man has a black belt in dumplings. He knows the best places to find good food at reasonable prices. He found this one back when we were in college and working summers at the Burbank Buy More. I've been coming here for years."

"I noticed that the owners and the chef know you. And it's been added to my list of places to go to. I think I'll even recommend it to my Mom."

Later, Chuck ordered some fried ice cream for both of them. They happily dug into it and then it was time for the fortune cookies. While waiting for them, Sarah was absentmindedly toying with a napkin.

"Chuck, for a Morgan recommendation, this was an amazing dinner."

"You don't have faith in the little bearded man? Big mistake, Sarah. He's always been there for me, you know. And he's the one who's been encouraging me to ask you out more, because at first, I wasn't so sure, with me being out of practice and you being…"

"Me being what?"

"You know… being you."

"And what about me?" Sarah insisted.

"You're really gonna make me say it, are you? Wow, OK, fine, we'll play it your way: A girl like you. Or, more appropriately, a woman like you, considering the fact that you could probably kick the ass of everyone in this joint; and a smart one at that, not to mention cool and extremely beautiful… and you can stop me any time with the compliments, if they're coming, y' know…"

"No, that was very sweet," she said sincerely.

"Sweet? Gee, thanks for making me feel like I'm eight," he said and she laughed.

"You are not so bad yourself."

"Please, I'm fantastic," he said, self-sarcastically.

"Yeah; you are." They shared one of the loving looks they had become so fond of. At that moment, the waiter brought them their fortune cookies. They broke them open and extracted the small strips of paper from inside. Before reading hers, Sarah looked at him. "What does yours say?"

"Of all the stars, one is shining just for you," he read and looked up at her. He was fervently hoping it was true. After all, she was a star.

She smiled sweetly and looked down at hers. "The road to your happiness is open." As if drawn by an irresistible invisible force, they both leaned in towards each other. Their lips met. He tasted the sweetness of the ice cream, her lip gloss and a flavor he knew from their previous kiss that was all her. She also tasted the ice cream they'd shared a few minutes earlier, plus Chuck's own unique masculine flavor. He ran a hand up and down her bare arm and she nibbled on his bottom lip for a few seconds, then using her tongue to soothe the bite.

When they parted and looked at each other, they could only see pure adoration in the other's eyes. It caused them to kiss again, eager to feel that special feeling for yet another time. Finally, after Chuck took care of the check, they left the restaurant arm in arm. She asked him to take her to the same club they'd visited the first time they had gone out together and he agreed wholeheartedly.

"I think this must be the best first date ever," he said while driving.

"First date? By my count this is our second date."

"The first one doesn't count as a date. It was a business meeting."

"You know, I told Carina the exact same thing back then. But with hindsight, I believe we can safely classify it as our first date, therefore tonight is our second date."

"I can't argue with your reasoning."

"Well, I can be pretty convincing when I want."

"And that makes you a great actress, Sarah."

"Flattery will get you everywhere, Mr. Bartowski." Sarah said huskily. She instantly decided to scrap the third date rule. She'd let things follow their natural course. If they led to either his or her bedroom, so much the better. If not, she could wait. Impulsively, she reached over the center console while they were stopped at a red light and gave him another kiss. It was feather light and borderline teasing, but she was sure he'd get the message.

Following them a few cars behind, Daniel Shaw turned red with fury when he saw her kiss him. By all rights those luscious lips and the whole delectable package should have been his. But this time he would make her pay. She'd managed to escape unharmed once. Tonight she wouldn't be so lucky. He'd come prepared. He laughed evilly when he realized the irony of it. A film star would die in a way inspired by a movie. It wasn't one of hers, but it was a classic.

When the light turned green, he sped off ahead, barely keeping to the speed limit, passing Chuck's SAAB and turned into Echo Park. He parked near the boathouse and quickly retrieved a case and a largish box from the trunk. He pulled the box apart and pressed a button on a box connected to the model helicopter that had been in the box. The sound of two four-stroke glow engines filled the night air. Shaw was particularly proud of the instrument of Walker's destruction. He'd built it himself, acquiring the parts over the past couple of weeks, paying cash for everything. Nothing could be traced back to him, whether he succeeded or failed again. There was double irony for Charles I. Bartowski in this, too. He'd die along with Sarah Walker, and a product of his father's company would play a key part in it.

A green light on the remote blinked and then glowed steadily. The engines had reached takeoff revs. Shaw operated the remote control and the helicopter took off. He kept his eyes on it until it cleared the trees and then focused on the screen showing the feed from the nose-mounted camera. It was an Orion compact security camera, one that could swivel to follow a target selected by the operator or acquired automatically. The bug he'd placed under Chuck's car was showing its location, so he steered the helicopter towards it. When in visual range, he'd lock the camera on it and then it would home in on the car. The homemade explosives he'd molded into a shaped charge and stuffed inside the RC helicopter's fuselage and set to go off on impact would do the rest.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: **Let's begin with a note on the previous chapter, regarding the chopper ride music. The Ride of the Valkyries is, of course, from Apocalypse Now. Long Tall Sally is from Predator and Paint It Black is from Tour of Duty. That said, I'd like to thank you once more for all your enthusiastic and unwavering support. It's heartening to see how much entertaining and interesting this story is to you. Now, as you might have been expecting, this is an action heavy chapter. Major thanks to **Chkgun93**, **Lone Fury** and **UKChuckster** for giving me the idea for some comic relief. Enjoy!

* * *

Completely unaware of the danger he and Sarah were in, Chuck kept on driving. A few blocks behind them, the RC helicopter was flying at an altitude that allowed its pilot to have a good view of the street below, i.e. at approximately one hundred and fifty feet, rapidly closing the distance to its target. The noise of the traffic effectively drowned out the droning buzz of its own engines and, since it had no navigation lights, it remained unobserved as well.

Shaw flew the helicopter from the passenger seat of his parked car, keeping one eye on the red blip indicating the location of Chuck's car while also watching the camera feed and the green blip that represented the helicopter. He didn't worry about it flying out of range of the remote control. He'd rigged the system to a cell phone, so he wouldn't lose contact with it, not as long as it remained within cell phone coverage. Right now he had another problem. The GPS planted on Chuck's car could give him a location with some precision, but he'd still have to confirm the target visually before locking on and allowing the engagement sequence to proceed automatically. He could have rigged it to be manually flown into Chuck's car, which he could still do at any time should he wish so, but he believed that automation would eliminate most of the margin for human error.

Chuck took a right into another street. The club he wanted go to with Sarah wasn't much farther. Traffic had thinned considerably. In fact, just another five cars were ahead of him with a couple more following behind. Stopping at a red light, he took the opportunity to fiddle with the radio a bit. Just then a passenger in the car stopped to his left called out to him.

"Dude, are you doing some kind of weird advertising gimmick?"

Naturally, Chuck was confused. His SportCombi wasn't a company car, so it wasn't emblazoned with the Orion logo. "No," he replied. "Why?"

"Look behind you, man. You've got a model helicopter in tow. I guess you forgot to turn its lights on."

"Excuse me?" Chuck turned and saw that it indeed was a model helicopter hovering not twenty feet directly behind his car. "What the frak?"

"Chuck, what is it?" Sarah asked.

"Look behind us."

"Hah. It's funny. Not to mention it looks exactly like the chopper I rode in today."

"I have a bad feeling about this," Chuck muttered, still keeping his eyes on the RC model. As if on cue, it flew backwards, gaining altitude at the same time and then dove towards the car. Shaw had confirmed the target and locked the system on to it.

"No shit!" Sarah exclaimed. "Step on it! Get us out of here!" Noticing that the light had turned green, she pushed down hard on Chuck's right knee with her hand. The wheels left twin trails of burnt rubber on the asphalt and the SAAB shot forward, with the helicopter in hot pursuit.

"Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap," Chuck repeated. "I knew it wasn't good. It's just like…"

"Dead Pool," Sarah finished the phrase. Despite the direness of the situation, he gave her a smile. "My Dad is a Clint Eastwood fan. We must have watched the movie together at least a dozen times," she elaborated.

"Keep an eye on it. I need you to be my early warning when it comes to evasive action."

"Or I could just shoot it down." She pulled the gun out of her purse and cocked it. "I'm a good shot, even when firing at a moving target. I have the skeet shooting scores to prove it."

"NO! You could knock it off course and cause it to crash in a building, another car, or just people walking by!"

"We have to do something!"

"I'm calling 911! You do the talking! Ask for Detective White, as she's the one handling your case. How are we doing?" He made yet another turn into a side street.

"It's still behind us," she yelled, leaning out her window and craning her neck to get a better look.

"Get back inside. I'll open the sunroof. And take this." He handed her a Bluetooth headset. He could hear her running commentary to Detective White, punctuated by occasional commands for him to go even faster or turn left or right.

"White says she's sending some squad cars to clear the way for us."

Just then he had an idea. He groped one-handed into the center console, found the other Bluetooth headset he kept there and put it on. This way he could talk to both Sarah and Alexis more easily. "Detective, can you hear me?"

"Go ahead, Mr. Bartowski," Alexis replied.

"I'm gonna head to Griffith Park. Have your people get in front of us to clear the way. Once there, our options on how to deal with this thing widen considerably."

"Roger that. Can't you just take a direct route and outrun the thing?"

"Negative, it's too fast."

"Good luck. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for you guys."

Still near the Echo Park boathouse, Shaw laughed as he watched Chuck attempt to dodge the model Chinook over the feed. "You can run, but you'll only die tired. HAHAHAHAHA!"

Chuck and Sarah knew that only their frequent turns kept this thing from crashing into them, as after each turn it had to search and reacquire its target. But now things were looking up a notch. Two LAPD squad cars were ahead of them, lights flashing and sirens screaming, clearing the way to Griffith Park.

"Detective, other than your people, is there anyone else following us?" Chuck asked suddenly.

"No, all other vehicles are going at normal speeds. Only cop cars are keeping up with you, why?"

"Because whoever is controlling this thing should be out of range of any remote, if what you're saying is true."

"Left now!" Sarah yelled. She continued speaking after Chuck finished the turn. "You're the Nerd. How would you do it? How would you rig the controls?"

He checked the side view mirror and jinked hard to the right before replying. "I'd use a phone to receive the control commands and relay them to the servos."

"A phone?" White echoed.

"Yes, a cell phone or a satellite phone. It's probably a late model smartphone, because whoever's out for us is probably getting a visual feed from a camera in the model, too."

"We don't have the equipment to find, isolate and jam the signal," Alexis said. "And it'll take too long to get it on site."

"Nah, we won't need it," Chuck said confidently and floored the gas pedal. "All we need to do was get into Zoo Drive in one piece."

"You have several alternative routes to get to Zoo Drive."

"It has to be a winding one. If we go straight, this thing can catch up."

"I'll get you a direct line to the squad cars in front of you. It'll make it easier to coordinate." Until then, Chuck had been communicating his intentions to the cops by using his indicators. They had caught on after a couple of times he'd done it.

"Much appreciated, Detective," he said gratefully. Soon, he could talk directly to the cops helping him. "Guys, I'm planning to go right into Winchester Av… now."

"Copy that," the familiar voice of Al Powell said. "Hang in there, kid, you're almost there."

"Thanks Al. I'm taking a left on Garden, a right on Ruberta and another right on Victory."

"Okay, got it. What next?"

"We'll see." He was speeding on Victory Boulevard heading northwest, when he saw another chance. "Go left on Justin! Now! I'll be right behind you guys!" He cranked the wheel hard to the left, following the black and whites.

"I think he lost us," Sarah said from the passenger seat, not seeing the helicopter anymore.

"We're sticking to the plan, just in case. Left on Riverside!"

Shaw had indeed lost them, since once again the turns had taken them out of the camera's field of view. Each time it happened, he'd retake manual control, find the target on the GPS and redirect the chopper. At least he wouldn't have to worry about running out of fuel, as he'd fitted extra tanks to the model. The last place he'd seen them was when they'd turned into Victory Blvd. When he realized that they'd doubled back again, Chuck was already breezing past the intersection with Sonora Avenue, continuing down Riverside and was about to cross the bridge over the LA River. Knowing where Chuck would go next, Shaw pointed the helicopter at the intersection of Riverside and Zoo, put it in a shallow dive to gather up more speed and opened the throttle again.

"Fuck!" Sarah exclaimed. "There he is again!"

"Air unit reports Zoo is clear," Alexis informed them.

"Sarah?" Chuck said. "Do you still see him?"

"I see him."

"Take him out. There is zero potential for collateral damage here. Detective, have the fire department send a crew over. There may be a small fire."

"Fire department units are already on alert. There must be at least one near your location."

"Thanks. Sarah, stop dawdling and shoot the damn thing."

"My pleasure," she said, snapped the gun's safety off and popped up in the sunroof. "Too bad we don't have a shotgun, but my Smith & Wesson will do." She squeezed off two shots. The chopper had come so close that she couldn't miss. The first shot clipped off one of the landing gear wheels and a corner of the left sponson. The second hit the right hand engine dead on, knocking it off its mounting, leaving it hanging by just a fuel line and a control cable and setting it on fire as well. "Take that, you sonofabitch!" Sarah crowed.

With one engine out, the helicopter could no longer keep up with the speeding car. The fire also soon ate through the wires to the servos in the tail and the model veered out of control to the right, flying right into a tree before bouncing off a branch, shedding its rotor blades and dropping like a rock to the ground, where it exploded in a small but impressive fireball.

Sarah dropped back down in her seat with a yell of triumph. Chuck had been looking at the fireball in the rear view mirror when he realized that the squad cars in front of them had stopped. He stood on the brakes, swerved the wheel hard to the right and yanked at the parking brake. The SAAB screeched to a stop only a few feet from the police cars and he banged the side of his head on his rolled up window in the process. He was rubbing it when Sarah turned to face him.

"You did it, Chuck!"

"No, _we _did it. We worked together as a team and won."

She unbuckled her seatbelt and threw herself over him, hugging him hard. Then she grabbed his head and was about to pull him in for a kiss when he winced and hissed in pain.

"Chuck?"

"I just banged my head a little. It'll be fine in a few minutes."

"Turn around and let me see." She flicked the overhead light on and carefully examined Chuck's head. He had barely a bump, but she was still concerned.

"Sarah, I'm fine. After all, Ellie always said that I have a pretty thick skull."

"At least put an ice pack on it. Do it for me, please. I'll ask the paramedics for one."

"There should be one in the first aid kit. It's in the trunk. Ellie and Devon packed it for me, so it's pretty comprehensive."

Sarah reached over, popped the trunk open and then got out to retrieve the kit. Opening it, she rummaged through the contents until she found what she was looking for. "You weren't kidding. Casey gave us good field medicine instruction. I know how to use almost everything." She activated the chemical ice pack and gave it to him.

Al Powell approached them. "That was some driving, kid. How on earth did you know exactly where to tell us to turn?"

"My car has an awesome navigation system with a windscreen projection function as well as giving traffic condition reports. Plus, you know I've worked at Big Mike's store as a Nerd Herder. I know Burbank like the back of my hand."

"I'm still impressed. So, what was that all about?"

"Well, it's complicated. I think we should wait until Detective White gets here."

"Tell me something. Is it related to the break-in at Ms. Walker's apartment?"

"We believe so, Al… unfortunately."

Alexis White arrived soon afterwards and she was relieved to find everyone OK. The crews of two patrol cars had already put out the fire from the RC helicopter's crash using their fire extinguishers, and CSU was there, sifting through the wreckage for evidence.

"Looks like you were right after all, Mr. Bartowski," she said. "It appears that we are indeed dealing with a psycho stalker."

"I can't say I'm happy to have been proven right, Detective." Then he had an idea. "Would you mind if I took a look at the evidence you recovered?"

"Chuck knows his electronics," Sarah butted in. "He might be able to help your people by pointing them in the right direction."

"I'm aware of Orion Computers and their reputation, as well as your friend's abilities, Ms. Walker. I've done my homework. Go ahead, Mr. Bartowski, but put on some gloves first."

"Certainly," Chuck said. He grabbed a pair of gloves offered to him by a crime scene tech, pulled them on and went to examine the burnt out pieces of electronic equipment. "I was right," he announced a few minutes later, and pointed to the warped and charred remnants of a plastic casing. "He was using a cell phone as a control relay."

"With luck, we might be able to pull a serial number and trace it," White said.

"He probably purchased a prepaid phone and paid cash," Sarah interjected. "He's too careful. Remember, he left no trace when he broke into my apartment." She paused when she saw a few cops looking at her in wonder. Chuck, on the other hand, was smiling. "What? I like police procedurals. I want to get a part in one someday, too."

"Guys!" Chuck exclaimed suddenly. "Take a look at this! It's one of ours."

"Define ours," White demanded.

He picked something up with a pair of tweezers. "It's what's left of an Orion pan and scan miniature remotely accessible gimbal mounted camera. I guess he used it as an optical homing device, while employing a man-in-the-loop target engagement technique. Our guy may be seriously disturbed, but he is smart, I'll give him that."

Sarah was thinking. Something Chuck had said had given her an idea. "Chuck, given how many evasive maneuvers we took, he should have never been able to find us and direct his drone back to its target. In fact, short of launching it while driving behind us, something we would have definitely seen, it should have been damn near impossible to know where exactly we were while he was preparing to launch his toy."

"Detective, Sarah is on to something here."

"He bugged your car," Alexis deduced.

"Yep. But why go to the trouble of bugging it? Why the elaborate setup? He could have just planted a bomb and called it a day."

"Luckily for us, he didn't. Maybe he didn't want to be seen planting the bomb. A bug on the other hand, is much easier to place unnoticed," Sarah said.

"I'll have my people sweep your car, Mr. Bartowski."

"Thank you Detective." He looked at Sarah. She appeared almost nonchalant, but she had to have freaked out at least as much as he had. "No matter how hard he tries, he can't hurt you."

"How do you know?"

"Wile E. Coyote never managed to get the Roadrunner, and not for lack of trying."

"Perhaps we should see if he bought the components for his deadly little toy from ACME Corporation," Sarah added. They looked at each other and started laughing, hard. The tension had finally been released.

"Maybe his next plan will blow up in his face," Chuck said between laughs.

"What's with them?" Carina, who'd just arrived having received a call from the LAPD, asked Alexis.

"I think they're just glad to be alive right now. And we found this behind Mr. Bartowski's rear bumper." She held up an evidence bag containing a cell phone. "The GPS tracking function is active."

"Thank you Detective. If you don't mind, I'd like to see my sister now. We'll talk more about the case later."

"Come by my office anytime and I'll bring you up to speed on everything, Agent Miller. By the way, as soon as the techs pull the SIM cards from the phones, we'll be able to trace where the drone was being controlled from… hopefully."

"Again, thanks."

"Don't mention it. I'm just trying to do my job. This wacko endangered scores of lives today. All I want to do is put him behind bars… or in a straightjacket… preferably both." The two cop ladies shared a laugh over the last part.

Carina went straight to her baby sister, noting that Chuck had draped his light jacket over her shoulders and had an arm around her as they both stood leaning against his car. "Hey sis, how are you guys?"

"We're fine, really," Sarah replied.

"Take her home, Chuck. She looks like she needs a stiff drink. So do you, by the way."

"Shouldn't we give statements to Detective White first?"

"I'd say statements are pretty much superfluous right now. Everything is covered. Go, get some rest. I'll take care of things here."

-o-

"NO! No, no, no and no! They got away! Again!" Shaw was furious. So furious, that he slammed his fist into his iPad, breaking the screen and drawing blood in the process. Throwing the now ruined gadget into his car, he got in and drove away. Nothing was going his way lately. His wife had gone to visit her parents for their anniversary and would be gone for a few days, so he couldn't even take it out on her. He didn't notice that a few shards of bloody glass lay on the ground.

-o-

"Here," Chuck said, handing Sarah a glass of Jack Daniels neat. He then poured one for himself and they sat down by the big window of her apartment. "Here's to dodging another bullet."

"You must be tired, Chuck. I know I am. Why don't we call it a night?"

"I don't want to leave you here all by yourself."

"Chuck, you've already done more than enough. The new… well, multi-band jammer thing you just installed… You didn't have to go to Orion and get it just for my sake. I seriously doubt that he has another RC flying model just lying around."

"It's a broadband multi-spectral jammer," he corrected. "It can hijack and render any kind of remotely controlled device useless. What if he gets it in his head to try again tonight?"

"Like I said, you don't have to worry. I still have my gun."

"Maybe, but I'll feel better if you let me stick around. Where's your sleeping bag?"

"What do you want my sleeping bag for?"

"I was thinking about staying here all night. I'll sleep on the floor. Your couch is too short for me."

"No. You're most definitely not sleeping on the floor. You're not Robert Rath, not by a long shot. And I'm not Electra."

"So what do you suggest?"

"My bed is big enough for two people to sleep comfortably in it. We'll share it," Sarah decreed. "I'll go change." She got up after finishing her drink, took some stuff from her dresser and went into the bathroom. She emerged a few minutes later, having washed the makeup off her face and put on a black t-shirt and snug fitting pink boy shorts.

Chuck's eyes almost bulged out of their sockets when he saw her. While staying in the RV, she'd mostly been partial to oversized t-shirts and boxer shorts for sleepwear. He chugged down the rest of his whiskey, suppressing the urge to cough as it burned its way down his throat and practically ran to the bathroom to change. If she wasn't under the covers when he got back, he wouldn't be held accountable for his actions.

Luckily, perhaps sensing his discomfort and not wanting to push too hard, she'd already crawled under the covers. He rejoined her in the bedroom wearing his undershirt and shorts. Pausing to check the jammer and the alarm system, he went around to his side of the bed and got in.

"Goodnight Sarah."

"Goodnight Chuck." She turned off the lights, leaving a small one on in the kitchenette, mostly for his benefit. He wasn't familiar with her apartment's layout, so he'd need it if he got up for something in the middle of the night.

Soon, Sarah's breathing evened out, indicating that she was asleep. Chuck just couldn't turn his brain off. Logically, he knew they were perfectly safe in the apartment. But he couldn't help worrying a little. He stayed awake for another half hour, when Sarah shifted in her sleep and bumped into him. Instead of turning away, she snuggled closer, pillowing her head on his chest and draping one of her magnificent long legs over his. Carefully, not wanting to wake her up, he moved his arm to hold her and on impulse gave her a kiss on the top of her head. Finally, feeling her heartbeat against his body, he relaxed and fell asleep, having very pleasant dreams – just like her.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N:** As some of you correctly guessed, this chapter contains a version of the infamous Barstow scene, but changed (for the funnier, I hope). Once more, I'd like to thank you for your reviews and comments. The downside to both wanting to update frequently and having a real life is that I don't have the time to read much. There are a lot of good stories out there, and I have resolved to read them and give their authors the same kind of encouragement you give me. Enjoy Chapter 11!

* * *

"Good morning, Detective White," Carina said, approaching the brunette's desk.

"Good morning, Agent Miller. Please, take a seat."

"Thank you. You said you had news for me."

"Yes. The techs said that the SIM card on the phone used as a control relay in the drone was burnt beyond recovery, but they were able to pull a serial number off the phone itself. We found the shop where it was sold. It's a small electronics store in Nevada. The owner doesn't remember exactly who bought this one and the store had no security cameras. Same on the phone used as a bug. It was a prepaid burner phone, purchased in San Diego. My people are still trying to track down the components of the RC helicopter, but it appears they were bought all over California and Nevada."

"So… our suspect travels a lot, probably as part of his job."

"It's a reasonable assumption. Anyway, tech also managed to trace the call to the relay unit. They isolated it to a cell tower in Burbank, specifically near Echo Park. I have units canvassing the area." Alexis' desk phone rang. "Excuse me," she told Carina. "White. Yes, go ahead. Uh-huh… Okay, got it, thanks."

"Well?"

"One of the units found shards of glass with blood on them near the Echo Park boathouse. It may be unrelated to our case, but we'll check it out anyway. I'll send the samples to the FBI lab for DNA testing."

"Do you think it may belong to our suspect?"

"Frankly, I don't know. But I hope so. If we're lucky, he'll already be in a database."

"And if not?" Carina pressed. "All we'll have is the DNA phenotype."

"Which is still better than nothing," Alexis pointed out. "Plus, we'll have something to match a suspect to."

"He'll have to make another attempt on my sister's life first. You can see why I am not as optimistic as you, Detective."

"We'll get him, Agent Miller. He tried and failed, but got away. Next time, he may not be so lucky."

"There is something I need to tell you. This was his second attempt to kill my sister. The first was while she was filming on site at Fort Irwin. He snuck a bullet into a blank cartridge, but she was wearing a vest."

"Why wasn't I told?"

"It happened outside of your jurisdiction, but in any case I brought you a copy of the file. It was a Military Police investigation, since it happened on a military installation, ably assisted by the movie's consultant and Chuck Bartowski."

Alexis took the file. "I'll see what this can add to our investigation. I'll keep you informed of any progress."

"Thank you."

-o-

Chuck woke up to find that he and Sarah were still snuggled together. She looked like she was sleeping very peacefully, if the angelic smile on her face was any indication. He smiled and gently caressed her upper arm with his hand. At some point, he didn't even realize when, she must have woken up too, because the next time he looked down at her she was looking back at him.

The shared look wasn't very long, as suddenly they were kissing like there was no tomorrow. Chuck shifted so that he was almost on top of Sarah, and she adjusted accordingly, giving him better access. Her hands slipped underneath his undershirt, and she was seconds away from either pulling it off of him, or, if he didn't get the message and began cooperating, ripping it off. His hands were cupping her face as he deepened the kiss even more. Verbal communication was unnecessary.

They only broke the kiss when the need for air became pressing. Breathing heavily, they looked lovingly at each other and kissed again. This time, Chuck's lips left a trail of light kisses from her lips down her jaw line and towards her neck, when…

"Carina?" Sarah screeched and pushed Chuck off of her.

Chuck, startled, whirled around. It was indeed Sarah's sister who'd just barged in on them. And she wasn't alone. "Morgan?"

"Hi Chuck, Sarah," his best friend greeted them. "Carina, I believe you won." He handed her a ten dollar bill.

"I told you so," she said, pocketing the money. "Sorry to barge in on you like this, guys, but I have news."

"Good news, I hope," Sarah said, glaring at her sister and pulling the covers higher.

"We may have the stalker's DNA. Uniforms canvassing around Echo Park, based on the cell phone trace the LAPD picked up, found shards of bloody glass near the boathouse."

"Makes sense," Chuck said. "The restaurant we went to was quite close to the park. He could have been following us and stopped at the park to deploy the drone. Morgan, what the hell are you doing here?"

"Carina called," Morgan replied. "She said you'd be here. I bet her ten bucks we'd find you on the couch, but she informed me it's too small for you, so I expected to find you on the floor. She claimed Sarah wouldn't let you sleep on the floor and she'd share the bed with you. And she won."

"Unfortunately, we got here just before the good part," Carina laughed. "Although, I have a feeling you wouldn't have been exactly appreciative had we walked in on you while you were getting freaky."

Sarah narrowed her eyes and shot another fierce glare at Carina. "Would you mind waiting in the next room until we get dressed?"

"Sure. Come on, Morgan. Sarah's getting cranky, but I know how to fix it. Let's make them some coffee. Sarah, I also have some more news."

Chuck and Sarah looked at the departing forms of Carina and Morgan and then plopped back down on the bed with a huff.

"It's ironic, you know," Sarah began. "Carina is the one who's always pushing me to… spice up my life, so to speak. And when I'm about to do exactly that, with a guy I like immensely, I might add, WHAM! She comes in and ruins everything."

"Ditto for Morgan and Ellie," Chuck added. "I can relate. I too just found someone special and… I don't need to repeat what you just said."

"No sense in prolonging the inevitable, I guess." She got up and pulled on a pair of yoga pants she found in the closet. Chuck followed suit, grabbing his jeans, shirt and socks and putting them on. They made their way to the kitchenette together, and Carina handed them each a mug of coffee.

"OK, what have you got for us?"

"I called in a favor with a certain hunky FBI agent I know. He was only too glad to kick his team's profiler and resident bullshit expert out of bed to help us. This is the file with his assessment. He emailed it to me this morning."

"Care to give us the CliffsNotes?"

"According to Dr. Sweets, the guy after you is a seriously disturbed individual."

"Tell me something I don't know," Sarah said sarcastically.

"He's smart, likes to read up on subjects that interest him, has a good respectable job, probably a white collar one, and he is probably married. Dr. Sweets postulated that the people in his life do not know about his obsession with you, but being an egomaniacal prick with a serious narcissistic disorder, he's probably planning a new attempt as we speak. Oh, and his wife may be in danger. He won't think twice about killing her. To him, it'll be a small compensation for his repeated failures to kill you. Finally, Sweets suggested that you try to remember if he's tried to contact you in the past."

"I'll get Graham to up security at the studio and the other filming locations," Chuck said. "In fact, I'll lean on him to hire Verbansky Corp. They are the best. And they just so happen to be clients of Dad's company."

Carina let out a long low whistle. "You're not kidding, Chucky. They are indeed among the best security providers out there. The DEA has even outsourced security of certain installations to them."

"I know," Chuck smiled. "I supervised the installation of equipment on location myself."

Carina's phone rang. "Excuse me, I have to take this. Miller." She listened for a couple of minutes. "Remember the glass I told you about? It wasn't exactly glass, but an aluminosilicate…"

"From a gadget of some kind; smartphone, tablet computer, or something similar. This material is used to make the screens," Chuck interrupted. "Then it belongs to the suspect. I guess he got too mad for failing again and took it out on part of his equipment."

"My thoughts exactly," Carina agreed. "The FBI are giving this priority, since we are dealing with a nutbar who uses explosives. They'll have the preliminary results with the phenotype later today and they'll also run the sample through the databases."

"The dating service junk mail!" Sarah exclaimed suddenly.

"What did you say, sis?"

"Remember when I told you about getting junk mail from a dating service?"

"Yes…"

"I think the letters were from him. Most had exactly the same title: Love found you… or something like that. But the last one was different. It said 'Last chance at love', or something along those lines. It was weird, but I didn't give it another thought then."

"Where are those letters, sis?" Carina pressed.

"I threw them in the recycle bin, along with the rest of the junk mail."

"They empty the bin every few weeks, depending on when it gets full. When did the very last letter arrive?"

"I think it was the day before I left for Fort Irwin," Sarah said after thinking it over.

"There's a chance they haven't emptied it. I'm calling CSU. Sarah, call down to the lobby and tell them not to touch the contents of the bin."

"I'm on it."

"With any luck we might get lifts off the letters."

"So, dude, what are your plans for the rest of the day?" Morgan asked.

Chuck was busy checking his phone, and didn't hear the question, but realized that Morgan was talking to him. "Huh?"

"What are you going to do today?"

"Professor Einerson sent me a text. It appears that a convention he was to participate in got postponed. He's free to work with Sarah and the other cast members for the second Valhalla scene."

"Before you and Sarah get all excited about it, don't forget to call Ellie. She'll be worried when she realizes you never came home last night. Knowing you, and given she thinks it's your and Sarah's first date, she won't suspect that you two were moments away from… you know." Morgan gestured to make Chuck understand.

"You're right. I should call."

"Just leave out any mention of last night's excitement. Trust me. You don't want her to get the news over the phone."

At that moment, Sarah had a thought. "Carina, where's the profile on the stalker?"

"It's right there on the counter, why?"

"I was wondering… What if he goes after people close to me? We should warn Mom and Dad. And you should be on the lookout, too."

"You're right, but I think Chuckles here is in more danger than our parents and me. After all, he's the one who 'stole' you away from your secret admirer. And did you call the lobby about the recycle bin?"

"I did. Did you call the crime scene unit?"

"They're on their way."

"Good. Keep me posted. I'll go change. Chuck and I are going to meet with Professor Einerson."

"You heard?" Chuck asked.

"Sure did. But first, we'll run by your place, in case you want to change."

He looked down at his casual outfit. He usually went to the office wearing a suit. "You're right. I should change."

-o-

"Ah, finally, there he is!" Ellie exclaimed, seeing Chuck in the courtyard. "It's the first time he's ever done the walk of shame in years."

"Not the first time," Devon corrected. "Are you forgetting the infamous gaming nights with Morgan and Bryce?"

Ellie glared at her boyfriend. "You know what I mean. He was on a date last night, remember?"

"And apparently he's still with her," Devon said, pointing to Sarah, who was following Chuck to his door. "Morgan wasn't yanking our chains when he said that Chuck had a date with Sarah Walker."

"She looks prettier in person," Ellie commented. Sarah was wearing jeans, an open-necked shirt and heels. It was a casual, modest, but at the same time great outfit. "I'll go see if they need anything."

"El, babe," Devon began, but to no avail. Ellie had already stormed out and was making tracks for Chuck's apartment. In a flash, she had crossed the courtyard and was pounding on his door.

"Sis? What's the matter?" Chuck asked. He'd barely had the time to button up his pants before going to answer the door.

"I just came to ask if you and Ms. Walker need anything," Ellie replied disarmingly.

"We're good. I was just gonna change and head to work." He started walking back to his room. Ellie followed him. She found Sarah in there, going through Chuck's closet.

"I picked out a suit and a tie for you, Chuck." Then she noticed Ellie. "Hi, you must be Chuck's sister. I'm Sarah." She extended her hand.

"Nice to meet you," Ellie said and took the proffered hand. "Nice suit you chose for him," she remarked.

"All of his suits are nice, but this one should look real good on him."

"How did your date go last night?" Ellie asked suddenly, her tone deceptively casual.

"He took me to this great little Chinese restaurant. It only went downhill after we left."

"What did he do?" She leveled a death stare at her little brother.

"Oh, he didn't do anything. No, let me rephrase that. He saved our lives." Sarah and Chuck then proceeded to explain exactly what had happened last night. Ellie's eyes widened in shock as she listened to the story.

In the end, she grabbed them both and pulled them into one of her famous bear hugs. "I'm so glad you're both OK. What are you going to do about it?"

"The police are handling it. Fortunately, the Detective in charge is working in harmony with Sarah's sister, who is also in law enforcement," Chuck said. "They are keeping their inquiries discreet. No one wants the press to get wind of it. Right now, we were getting ready to go to the office. Professor Einerson and Sarah will begin their second round of lessons. He already has the script translated to Old Norse."

-o-

Their day turned out to be very productive. Chuck had managed to get a lot of work done, while Sarah had made considerable progress with her lines. Magnus Einerson was certainly satisfied and he'd said so in so many words. He'd even given Sarah a homework assignment. She'd study some of her lines herself, without him coaching her, using the knowledge she'd accumulated from their sessions. If it went well, it would speed up the process, leaving him with more time to coach other cast members in Old Norse.

Carina called them just as they were about to leave. CSU had indeed found two of the letters in the recycle bin, taken them to the lab and found several sets of prints on them, but sorting through them would take a little time. The cops had also checked Sarah's car for bugs or other devices and found none, thankfully. In addition, the FBI lab had completed the DNA phenotype testing and said that the suspect was a male with dark hair and dark eyes. They'd found no match in any database though. The police also told them that checking traffic cameras in the area would give inconclusive results, so they would leave going over the footage until they had something more concrete.

-o-

In his house, Shaw paced the living room like a caged animal. No matter how hard he tried to come up with a good foolproof plan, he was stumped. To make matters worse, she now knew that someone was out to get her and she'd take measures. Hell, she already had a gun, and she'd used it effectively, too. But he wasn't going to give up. No, the whore would pay. Maybe he'd make her watch her new boyfriend die before he killed her, or he could make _him_ watch her die, before his turn came. Either way would be extremely satisfying.

There was, of course, the problem of how to overcome the security at the studio. Security at her apartment building was now too tight, and the same applied to the Bartowski residence and the Orion headquarters. That left the studio. Surely, their security would be nowhere near as tight. Smiling satanically, Shaw opened Google Earth on his computer and looked for the studio's website as well. He needed to prepare well for his next try.

Currently, the first order of business, other than planning, was to keep up appearances, so he called his wife to ask her how her time with her parents was. He thought he was a pretty good actor. Eve never had a clue as to his real intentions and desires. And when she died, and she'd die soon, maybe even before Sarah Walker, he'd get a substantial inheritance, not to mention her life insurance.

-o-

Chuck and Sarah still hadn't decided what to get for dinner. As her car was still in the parking garage of her apartment building, they had taken his. Right now, he was driving aimlessly around, while they were bouncing ideas off of each other.

"Are you sure you don't want to get some French or Italian?" Chuck asked.

"I'm not really in the mood for French or Italian," Sarah replied. "Hartley wants to resume filming soon, so I have to start working harder."

"You still have a few more days," he pointed out.

"Let's go to your place," she said suddenly. "I have an idea."

"Care to let me in on it?"

"You'll learn soon enough," she said smugly. It was a stroke of genius, even if she said so herself. And Chuck's place had just the right equipment for her plan to succeed. She was pretty sure he'd agree once he heard her plan in detail.

"Okay Sarah, we're here. Now, do you want to tell me about your idea?" Chuck said just as they got inside his apartment.

"In a minute," she said. She took a look around the living room, focusing on the massive home entertainment system. "Yes, this will do nicely."

"What?" Did she want to watch a movie or something? One minute she was talking about work and now… No, she must have something else in mind.

"Do you have the Valhalla scenes on video? Not in the game, but as separate clips."

"Of course I do. Why?"

"Load them up in your home theater system. I found the perfect way to rehearse my lines. I'll watch the scene a couple of times first, and then I'll try saying my lines. Only, instead of the good professor, the virtual Odin will be my partner. What I want you to do is mute the Valkyrie's voice and I'll say the lines instead. What do you think?"

"It's doable and, if you'll allow me to say, brilliant. Since Magnus and I made sure everything was authentic, you can hear your character in the video and adjust accordingly. You also have the added benefit of having done the first Valhalla scene."

"Good. Now load the video," Sarah commanded imperiously.

"I'll order some pizza first: vegetarian, no olives for you, and the usual for me, too."

"Pizza sounds just about right. Some beer would be nice, too. I mean, if you're OK with me crashing here for the night."

"Why wouldn't I be? I have a selection of good beer in the fridge. Just give me a minute to order the pizza and then I'll set up the home theater system."

"In the meantime, I'll go over the script again." It had been easier than she'd originally expected. Naturally, she had no intention of sleeping in the guest room. Tonight, she was going to sleep in his bed with him.

While waiting for the pizza, Sarah excused herself to go to the bathroom. On the way back, she snuck into his room. She hadn't been in there before, and she was curious about it. She chuckled at seeing a post-it note on the computer proudly bearing the phrase 'I'M A PROFESSIONAL NERD' in block letters. His book collection was another thing that caught her eye. It ranged from the expected textbooks on electrical engineering, electronics and software to comic books to a wide selection of science fiction and crime fiction novels. Her own library was quite similar, as she too liked Jules Verne, Isaac Asimov, Temperance Brennan, Richard Castle and some of the other authors whose books graced Chuck's shelves.

Then, she sat on the bed and bounced experimentally up and down a few times. She even lay down on it. Yep, it was very comfortable, both for sleep and for other activities. Not wanting to leave a trace of her presence, she smoothed the covers again and went to rejoin Chuck in the living room. On the way there, she realized that she hadn't taken her overnight bag. Lack of sleepwear wouldn't be a problem, as she could always borrow something from Chuck and, in any case, if all went well, not having anything to sleep in would prove advantageous instead of a hindrance.

The pizza delivery guy almost had a heart attack when Sarah answered the door. He'd been expecting to see a regular client, not a Goddess in every sense of the word. In the end, she even signed his motorcycle helmet for him. She had to remind him to take the money Chuck had left out for the pizzas.

They made themselves comfortable on the couch, munching on the pizzas and watching the video. Sarah did it with an admirable dedication. Chuck just loved sitting there watching her. He loved the way her brow furrowed in concentration and her lips moved as she silently recited her lines. Finally, she felt ready to give it a shot. She repeated her instructions to Chuck to mute the video when her turn came to speak.

"Hit play on my mark, Chuck. Three, two, one, go!"

The first time was more of a trial, but it went well, given that they were both working together in perfect harmony. After another couple of times, he was moving his fingers on the remote mechanically, awed by her magnificent performance. Yep, Magnus would be very proud of his student when they did another formal rehearsal.

"How did I do?" Sarah asked when he finally hit the stop button.

"I have no words… It was like I never muted the audio every time you spoke. You nailed it right, just like the first scene."

"Then I believe we can call it a night." She looked at the clock. It was late, but she didn't feel tired, and she was sure he didn't either.

"Sure we can. Give me a minute to clean up here."

"OK. By the way, can I borrow a couple of towels and a t-shirt? I'd like to take a shower. It's been a long, hot day."

"Sure." He led her to his room. "Take anything you need from the closet and the dresser."

"Thank you." When Chuck went back to the living room, she rummaged through his drawers for the items she needed. He was definitely in for a treat tonight, she thought and smiled.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: **Another update finished on time. Luckily, I didn't melt at the keyboard in this heat we've been having here, lol. Besides, I couldn't keep you long without a new chapter to read, not with the way you've been supporting me with your reviews and comments. Sadly, since it's unlikely to have the next chapter written by Friday, you'll have to wait until Monday for it, since I'll be out of town over the weekend, and in charge of a polling station for the elections. But I can promise to have the next one ready by this time on Monday. For now, enjoy Chapter 12!

* * *

Sarah finished her shower and, since Chuck was unlikely to have talcum powder in his bathroom, which she confirmed by looking inside the medicine cabinet, sneaked on a bit of his aftershave lotion. Then, she carefully peeked through the door. She didn't want him to see the surprise she had in store for him prematurely. After tiptoeing swaddled in a big fluffy towel to the bedroom (his, not the guest room), she quickly changed into a clean pair of cotton panties (she made a note to ask Chuck where these came from) and one of his crisp white dress shirts. And she left about half the buttons undone.

Chuck gave Sarah a few minutes to get ready for bed, and then he took a quick shower. He also shaved. In his experience, women might find the five o'clock shadow attractive, but they sure don't appreciate male stubble rubbing against their soft skin. He also noticed that she hadn't made a mess in the bathroom. After all, she'd never struck him as a sloppy girl.

After the morning's events, Chuck was most likely to find Sarah waiting for him in his room. But no amount of foreknowledge could have prepared him for what he saw the second he stepped through the door. The covers had been pulled back and Sarah was sexily reclining on the bed, in her minimal attire, looking at him through half-lidded eyes.

"About time you got here. I was beginning to get cold," she said huskily. "Plus, I think we have some unfinished business from this morning. I really hate to leave things unfinished, Chuck."

For a few seconds, he stood rooted in place before his brain caught up with the signals his eyes and ears were receiving and relaying to it. The catching up done, it shifted into high gear and activated the Good Old Bartowski Charm mode. "You know, you're absolutely right, Sarah. Leaving things unfinished is something I don't like doing either. It's just not proper." He moved to the bed and sat down on it, looking straight into her eyes. "But there is something you need to know before we go any further… I love you, Sarah. It's not a simple infatuation, because I got to know you rather well over the last few weeks and I can definitely say that you are the woman I've been waiting for my entire life. You're not only beautiful on the outside, but on the inside as well. Feel free to stop me if you think I'm shooting my mouth off, but I really love you. You are a great person, and you make me want to be better myself every day. One more time, because it feels so good to say it, I love you, Sarah Walker."

"I love you too, Chuck. I fell for you after Hartley introduced us and before we found out about the burglary at my place. My only regret in this is that I didn't get the chance to tell you before. And I wasted plenty of good opportunities."

"Really? Because I kind of feel the same way."

Her laughter was music to his ears. "Shut up and kiss me."

He leaned down and captured her lips with his. She took advantage of his move to pull him down closer to her. Needless to say, their sleepwear was soon in an untidy heap on the floor, or thrown over his desk, computer and chair, while they consummated their relationship.

The morning found them fast asleep, exhausted by their nocturnal activities, cuddled together. Their bodies fit perfectly to each other, as if they were purposely made that way. At some point, she shifted in her sleep, pressing herself even closer on him and one of her elbows poked him in the ribs, waking him up. He didn't move, and stayed still, holding her and watching her with pure love in his eyes.

"Chuck?" She was finally awake.

"Good morning, beautiful."

"I don't want to get up."

"Me neither," he admitted and they kissed lightly. "But you know we'll have to… eventually."

"I know," she pouted. "Right now, my limbs are not obeying my brain. I'm like a puppet with the strings cut."

"If it will make you feel better, I'm not much better off either. Last night was pretty wild."

"You just made the first understatement of the day. What time is it?"

"Let me see…It's ten thirty."

"What?" She almost shot upright, but then she remembered that she wasn't scheduled to work either with Professor Einerson or at the studio. "Good thing I don't have any filming, rehearsals or sessions with Magnus for today. What about you?"

"I can work just as well from home." As if on cue, his phone rang. "Excuse me." He picked it up and spoke in hushed tones. "It was Morgan," he told her later. "He wanted to know if I'll be coming in at the office. I told him I have other pressing engagements."

Their stomachs growled in unison. "Well, breakfast is the first one," she laughed and bounded naked out of bed, looking around the room for her panties and shirt. "It's my turn to cook."

"I'm not keeping score."

"But I want to." She first went to the bathroom and then to the kitchen, leaving him to get dressed at leisure.

There is something extraordinarily sexy about a woman making breakfast for her man, barefoot and wearing only her underwear and one of his shirts, as he found when he finally rejoined her in the kitchen.

"Coffee's almost ready," she informed him. "Just keep an eye on it and pour me some when it's done. You know how I take it." She finished chopping some herbs and vegetables for the omelets she was making and threw the knife at a cutting board hanging from a hook on the wall under the cupboards by the sink.

Chuck was most definitely impressed. "Where did you learn to do that? Training for the movie you did after Steel Furies and before Warrior Angels? What was its name again?"

"The Omaha Project," she replied. "In concept it was a cross between Three Days of the Condor and the Bourne series with a bit of Supreme Sanction thrown in. I played the government assassin who joined forces with her mark after discovering that her superior was corrupt and was trying to cover up his own indiscretions."

"I know about the plot," he informed her, mock-indignantly. "I do have internet and follow a lot of sites about movies."

"Apologies if I offended you," she said solemnly, but then they couldn't keep up the act and started laughing. "To answer your original question, no," she continued after the laughter died down. "My Dad taught me and Carina how to use knives. His own dad had taught him the same skills. Grandpa was a Ranger and his knife skills saved his life more than once in combat. It's kind of a family tradition."

"So, if you decide to have kids one day, you'll pass the skills on to them, too."

"Maybe," she replied. "Now try this." She served him his omelet. "It's my Mom's recipe."

"Careful, Sarah. One day you may wake up and discover you've turned into a normal everyday girl."

"Shut up and eat your breakfast," she laughed. "Besides, in the unlikely event that what you said actually happens, I'll just blame you for it."

"I take it back. Don't ever change. Always be you. The amazing actress and even better woman I fell in love with."

"That's my Nerd. Now, tell me, how is your omelet? I confess I'm a little rusty in the kitchen. With work and all, I don't get to cook much."

"Frankly, I think Ellie is going to ask you for the recipe, if she ever tastes this. It's heavenly."

"I'm flattered."

"You should be. The Eleanator is a homemaker extraordinaire."

"Eleanator?" Sarah echoed. "Don't you mean Eleanatrix?"

"Semantics," he shrugged.

"Why did you give your sister a nickname inspired by the Terminator anyway?"

"Because she has several operating modes and can switch between them at will. There is her Big Sister mode, for starters. This one tends to blame me for everything."

"I saw it surface yesterday," Sarah nodded.

"Yep. Then there is the Doctor Bartowski mode; pretty straightforward, unless it has to deal with family and friends. Then she gets all super-attentive. After that, you have her Ellie-the-normal-girl mode. This one is the easiest to get along with. And finally, there is her Martha Stewart mode, upped to super freaked out Martha Stewart mode every time Devon's parents come to visit. The moment she hears about your omelet, she will default into Martha Stewart mode."

Sarah suddenly looked up. "Do I hear a phone ringing somewhere?"

"It must be yours. The ring tone doesn't sound like mine."

"Yeah, but where is it?" She followed the sound to the coffee table in the living room. The phone was underneath a gaming magazine. "Hello? … Hi… No, this is not a bad time… Let me write this down…" She grabbed the notepad and pen Chuck tossed her and scribbled on the top page. "Got it, thanks. I'll call them, and you, as soon as I can arrange something. See you around."

"Good news?" Chuck asked guardedly.

"Work news," she replied. "My agent said something about the commentaries remaining to be done for The Omaha Project. Some were done while on breaks from filming, but the director got it in his head to do an extra about the bloopers. The guy is a huge Jackie Chan fan."

"Did you have many bloopers in the course of the filming?"

"I had my share. The most serious was when my descender jammed in the stop position while I was going down the side of a disused grain elevator. It was windy and I got battered around a bit against the side of the building, until they could get another line to me. I got off lightly, with only a few bruises and a very mildly sprained wrist."

The conversation shifted to non-work related subjects while they were finishing their breakfast. Later, they did the washing up together, Chuck cleaning the dishes and Sarah drying them with a clean rag before stacking them in the cupboards. Sarah finally went to get dressed while Chuck fired up his top of the line computer system in the study and logged in to the Orion corporate network. She found him there, looking over his emails.

"Any good news?"

"I'm looking," he replied. "Be advised, this might get boring for you."

"Naw, you've seen me at work. Now it's my turn. In any case, you have an excellent library. I could get one of your books or comics to read."

"Graphic novels," he corrected. They are not just comic books, they are graphic novels."

"I stand corrected. Fortunately, graphic novels aside, we have similar tastes in literature. I too have the complete works of Temperance Brennan and Richard Castle."

"Even Hell Hath No Fury?" Chuck asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"He said something in an interview about only hardcore Castle groupies having read that one."

"Then I guess I am a hardcore Castle groupie."

"I read it once. I'd bought it just after it came out. Speaking of our favorite authors, how come you didn't get cast for the part of Kathy Reichs? I admit, Cherie Redfern is good, but she's not the best choice for Bred in the Bone and the next film adaptations of Brennan's books. It's just not her style, you know. You, on the other hand, would have been ideal."

"Scheduling conflicts," she said. "I was doing Steel Furies followed by The Omaha Project and couldn't even consider applying for a part in Bred in the Bone, no matter how much I'd have loved to. But the studio did put out some feelers." The computer beeped. "Hey, you have a new email."

"The conversation is not over," he smiled and then read the email. "Huh. It's from Carina, about the case. Seems like the police were unable to trace the camera and they are asking for our help."

"Can you help them?"

"I don't know. They only recovered a partial serial number at the scene. We can't possibly trace the entire batch. These cameras are the cheapest we sell, too. And they are made in correspondingly large numbers. Your stalker could have easily bought one for cash at any decent spy shop or electronics store."

"I seriously doubt that he thought about using it in his drone himself. Do people in the RC modeling community use security cameras to get a pilot's eye view while flying their models?"

"Sarah, you are a genius!"

"Let's see if this pans out first," she cautioned him. But her hunch was right on the money. Chuck found several RC modeling forums on the internet where the capabilities of the cheap Orion cameras and their usefulness were being extolled.

"Damn, even modeling stores sell them now. I'll email Carina and let her know." His fingers flew over the keyboard, composing and sending a reply complete with links.

"OK. Hey Chuck, didn't you mention a Verbansky Corp. yesterday?"

"What about them?"

"Graham sent you an email about them."

"Ah, he hired them for increased security at the studio when you'll be around. I guess knowing their CEO helped."

"I never doubted it would." Her phone beeped with an incoming text message. She read it and chuckled. "Kathleen, my agent, forgot to tell me something earlier. She and her family are moving to a new apartment, so she's got a lot on her plate right now. She wants to know if I'd like to do a commercial for… the Buy More franchise."

"You should do it, time permitting. I still remember the commercial about the messy cheeseburger you did a few years back."

"Ah yes, I was still in Harvard and was just contemplating starting my acting career back then. And I needed the money for my summer vacation. Let me tell you, it was better than working at a Wienerlicious."

"You were a Wiener Girl?"

"And a Double O girl, too," she replied. "Serving frozen yogurt at an Orange Orange was way better. After all, I didn't smell like sausage at the end of the day. I'll text her back and tell her to go ahead and book me for the job. It will be a nice break from the more serious stuff."

"If the commercial gets filmed here, I know just the right place."

"You do?"

"It's the Burbank Buy More. I know it well."

"As I recall, you used to work summers there."

"Uh-huh. It's perfect. It has a better layout than the Beverly Hills branch and the staff are friendlier, too, unlike the snobs at the other, flashier, store."

"That won't be up to me, but I sure hope we'll be doing the filming at the Buy More Plaza, based on what you just said. By the way, I bought your game from them, back when I wanted to make up my mind about doing the movie or not."

"I'm lucky you did," he said and pulled her down for a quick kiss.

-o-

Daniel Shaw had just had the best news in what to him seemed ages. His boss had called and told him that he needed one executive to work on a contract with a film studio. And it just so happened to be the very same studio where they were filming Warrior Angels. When he accepted, he was instructed to report to the office first thing in the morning to get a security pass for the studio grounds. It was perfect. He'd have virtually unlimited access, day or night. Revenge would finally be his. And then, he'd make it even better by offing his wife. The woman was too damn independent for her own good. At times he questioned why he'd married her. But the answer was always simple and the same: her money. He'd inherit a fortune, get another one in insurance and off the bitch that had ignored him so pointedly.

-o-

That day Sarah learned another thing about Chuck: he liked to have his thinking juice on hand when working on software. Said thinking juice was a nice chardonnay. Seeing him repeatedly taking long swigs straight from the bottle while trying to fix a corrupted segment of code, she discreetly left him in the study and hightailed it to the kitchen. She needed to keep him fed, lest she end up with a drunken boyfriend. And she had just the perfect thing to feed him. While making breakfast, she'd noticed that he had several boxes of Hot Pockets in his cupboards, so she just popped a few in the microwave. These handy snacks had been a staple of her diet while she was in Harvard, too. She arranged them on a tray along with a can of soda for herself and took it to the study.

"Chuck, you should take a break and grab a bite to eat. I nuked us some Hot Pockets."

"I love you, Sarah," he said appreciatively.

"I love you too, so eat up. I don't want you sleeping off a thinking juice binge, not when we can do a whole lot of better things instead. Besides, when you're done, I want to rehearse my lines a couple more times. Are you game?"

"Like you need to ask. I'll be happy to help you."

Fortunately, fixing the glitch in his latest program proved to be easy, so they had time to rehearse Sarah's scene again and again. This time she had him help her move some furniture around to give her more room to move around as she didn't want to do just the lines, but the entire scene. Therefore, he was soon sitting in a chair, pretending to be Odin, remote in hand, waiting for Sarah/the Valkyrie to make her entrance in the 'throne room'. By the time they were done with the rehearsal, it was already four in the afternoon. Just then, Chuck noticed Devon hurrying to his and Ellie's apartment.

"Devon's back," he commented. "He must have had a half shift at the hospital today."

"He seems to be in a hurry. Maybe he has to go back," Sarah added her two cents. "Help me put everything back the way it was."

They had just completed the task when someone knocked on the door. It was Devon. "Hey Captain," Chuck greeted him. "What's the rush?"

"It's time," Devon said simply. "I need the little thing I gave you after I talked to you and your parents."

"I have it locked in the study safe."

"What are you guys talking about?" Sarah asked.

"Devon, I believe you haven't yet met Sarah. Sarah, this is Ellie's boyfriend Devon."

"Hi," she said sweetly. "Chuck has told me great things about you."

"And he's had nothing but praise for you," Devon said. "As for the reason I'm here, it's because I want something I gave Chuck for safekeeping."

"Before I left to meet you at Fort Irwin, Devon asked my parents and me for our permission to marry Ellie. And he entrusted me with his great-grandmother's ring. He's going to propose today, apparently," Chuck explained.

"Break a leg," Sarah wished Devon luck. Then she thought of something. "Can I please see the ring?"

"Certainly," Devon replied. Chuck went to the study to get it. He came back with it and handed it over. Devon opened the little box and showed the ring to Sarah. "I had to keep it away from Ellie after I got it from my safety deposit box. Ellie's a bloodhound when it comes to those things. Had I kept it in the apartment, no matter how well hidden, she'd have smelled diamond."

"It's beautiful," she said, admiring the way the diamond on it caught the light.

"It is," Chuck agreed. "I'm not sure Ellie will be able to lift her hand anymore, with that rock on her finger. Good luck, bro."

"Soon, we'll be using that word literally. Thanks guys, but I have to go. The dinner I ordered will be here soon."

"Where did you order it from?" Sarah asked, curious.

"From one of the best restaurants in town, which happens to be the only one making a perfect pecan pie, Ellie's favorite dessert."

"My Mom's restaurant makes a fantastic pecan pie. It's the Miller."

"The Miller is your Mom's restaurant? That's where I ordered from!"

"I'll let my Mom know. She'll be happy to learn her offerings paved the way to your proposal."

-o-

Chuck had cooked dinner for Sarah, which they thoroughly enjoyed. They were in the middle of watching one of her – and his – all time favorite movies when a loud piercing squeal was heard coming from the apartment next door.

"Devon must have popped the big Q," Chuck remarked.

"And she obviously said yes. Care to take a look to confirm?"

"What, spy? You?"

"Why not? I like Ellie and Devon a lot. And you're her brother. You need to be there for them."

"OK, let's go." They got to a window in time to watch as Devon slipped the ring on Ellie's finger and then kissed her. "She looks so happy," Chuck said.

"Yeah, she does. Don't you want to go in and congratulate her?"

"Sure. Are you coming?"

"No, it's a family time."

"They won't mind. Besides, you're my girlfriend now." He looped an arm around her waist and pulled her along. He knocked and waited for Ellie to answer. "Congratulations, sis," was the first thing he said before hugging her.

"I'm sure you'll be happy together," Sarah added.

"Thanks guys. I hope my, um, reaction to the proposal didn't interrupt anything."

"Oh no, we were just watching a movie."

Ellie noticed something. "Sarah, is that a hickey on your neck?"

"What?" Sarah asked, having been caught unawares. "Where?"

"It looks fresh, too. I assume that you and my brother are dating now."

"Yes," Sarah admitted. "Exclusively."

"Great news twice in one day," Ellie mused. "Come here you kids." She hugged them both enthusiastically.

Chuck and Sarah made some more small talk with the newly engaged couple before leaving them alone and going back to his apartment to watch the rest of the movie. Their mood was positively festive, and it helped make things more interesting in the bedroom later.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N:** I'm back from my work weekend in the beautiful area of Kastoria and, as promised, a new chapter is ready for your reading pleasure. Forgive me if you find any glaring mistakes. I had to finish it in a hurry, as I got home today rather than last night as originally planned. Once more, thank you all for the reviews and comments on the previous chapter.

* * *

Chuck and Sarah were awakened by loud noises coming from the courtyard. They both groaned when they realized that it was still way too early in the morning.

"Who the hell is making this awful racket so early in the morning and why?" Chuck grumbled.

"Sounds like someone's moving some pretty heavy stuff," Sarah said and yawned. She propped herself up on one elbow and glanced out the window. "Yep, they're moving furniture, all right."

"Devon told me the apartment across the courtyard from us was sold a few days ago. Whoever bought it must be moving in. I say we go back to sleep."

"I agree. We still have a couple of hours before we'll need to get up."

"We'll greet the new neighbors then. Come here." He pulled her to him and she snuggled close. She was asleep again seconds after her head hit the pillow. He followed suit only minutes later.

The alarm clock roused them again, at the proper time. Still rubbing the last vestiges of sleep from their eyes, they went to the bathroom for a quick (or so they thought) shared shower. Afterwards, they were getting dressed in his room.

"You know Chuck, I meant to ask you. Where did you get all that stuff in your dresser? Did one of your exes leave them here?"

"No, after the first night you stayed here, I realized that I didn't have anything to give you to wear. Fortunately, you had an overnight bag back then, but I like to cover my bases. So, I talked to Ellie. She gave me a very long list of essentials, I went to Underpants, etc, described your figure to a salesgirl, showed her the list and presto, I came home with some nice things for you."

"You are so sweet, Chuck. And to think we weren't even official back then."

"Subconsciously – and consciously – I was hoping that one day we'd be."

"Ditto. Remember, I had already fallen for you."

"My turn in the kitchen," he informed her after kissing her. "What would you like for breakfast?"

"Coffee," she replied without hesitation.

"Anything else?"

"Just the coffee please, for now."

"I'll make some toast, too. You'll need some solid food as well."

"Toast sounds just about right," she agreed. By the time she finished combing her hair and rejoined him in the kitchen, still wearing only panties and a camisole, he had two mugs of coffee and a plateful of toast ready. She took a closer look at the latter. "Chuck, why does this toast have Darth Vader's face on it?"

"That's because I made it with my Darth Vader toaster," he replied, moving aside to show her his culinary pride and joy.

"You even framed it with the chocolate hazelnut spread."

"Oh yeah, this is what I like to call the Dark Side of the Toast," he said seriously. "You should really try it." Just to tempt her, he took a bite off one slice.

She just shrugged, picked one up and bit into it. "It's good. And the presentation certainly put me in a good mood."

"Ellie also insisted that I get another toaster, a more, ahem, useful one. In the end, she bought it for my last birthday, after my Star Wars toaster had broken down."

"And?"

"But I managed to fix it, so now I have two toasters," he laughed. "The more mundane one I used to make the breakfast sandwiches you enjoyed so much. It does a lot more than just make toast. It cooks bacon or sausage and eggs as well."

"More mundane but also more versatile," she corrected. "I can totally see her point."

"Of course you can," he mocked her and she threw a dishrag at him. "Hey!"

"You deserved it," she stated. Then she moved to the fridge, opened the door and to her immense satisfaction found a gallon jug of pineapple orange juice, which happened to be her favorite. "Would you like some juice?"

"Uh, yes please."

"Chuck?" It was Morgan's voice yelling his best friend's name and it was coming from the bedroom. "Chuck, where are you?"

"In the kitchen!" Chuck yelled back.

"How did he get in?" Sarah queried.

"The usual way: through the Morgan Door," he replied.

"Excuse me, the what?"

"My bedroom window," he clarified.

"I left it open before I came here," she admitted.

"Hey Chuck, I need you to sign off on…" Morgan's voice trailed off when he saw that Chuck wasn't alone. And he couldn't fail to notice Sarah's state of dress… or rather undress. "Oh, hey," he said as casually as he could manage. "Sorry to barge in on you like this, but your Dad sent me here to get you to sign these." He took a sheaf of papers from his briefcase.

"Would you like some juice, Morgan?" Sarah asked.

"Uh, yes, thanks."

"Here you go." She handed him a glass and quietly slipped away to get dressed more fully.

"So, um, you and Sarah… you're official now, right? You cinched the deal?"

"Buddy, gentlemen don't kiss and tell."

"Aw, c'mon! You have your lovesick puppy-slash-I got laid last night face on."

"Sarah and I are indeed official," Chuck finally said.

"Yes! Now Carina owes me ten bucks!"

"What was the bet this time?"

"She bet me ten bucks that it would take you both at least a week to recover from the embarrassment of us catching you in flagrante delicto. I said no way, you guys are too much in love with each other to wait that long. As it turns out I was right. So, you lucky dog, you're dating a leggy Valkyrie that has an aversion to clothing."

"I don't like it when people objectify women," Chuck said while signing the documents Morgan had brought over.

"I am not objectifying her. She's literally _your_ Valkyrie, she's got great legs and she wasn't exactly dressed like a nun." Morgan ticked the points off on his fingers.

"Points taken." He smiled as part of what Morgan had told him registered. "She really _is_ my Valkyrie."

"Wipe that grin off your face. Some of us don't have girlfriends, you know."

"What about Carina? Sarah and I know everything about what happened in her trailer at Fort Irwin."

"That was something casual, we're not a couple."

"My Jedi powers tell me that your situation will change soon and for the better."

"Ha-ha, nice try, Chuck. Did you sign the documents?"

"Yes, here you go. Tell Mom and Dad I'll be coming in at work later, after I take care of some things, OK? Just keep your big mouth shut about me and Sarah. I want to tell them myself. So far only you, Ellie and Devon – they got engaged last night, by the way – are in the know."

"Ellie and Awesome? They're getting married?"

"He proposed and she said yes," Chuck shrugged. "The wedding is the next step."

"Good for them. Are they at home? I'd like to congratulate them, too."

"I think they had the day off," Chuck replied.

"What are you guys talking about?" Sarah asked, coming into the kitchen fully dressed and laying a possessive smack on Chuck.

"Chuck was giving me the update on Ellie and Awesome," Morgan replied. "By the way, I'm happy you guys finally took the plunge. It was about damn time. I mean, you were constantly making googly eyes at each other and…"

"Morgan, shut up," Chuck chastised him.

"Shutting up now."

"Is there anything else?"

"Sure. When is filming scheduled to start again?"

"Let me see… As soon as Einerson is done with the people taking part in the final Valhalla scene, we'll be doing it at the studio. Then, they'll take it to a former Army base to film the pre-deployment scenes. After that, the footage goes straight to editing."

"I'll inform your parents. You left them out of the loop on the film's progress and Mrs. B wasn't exactly happy."

"I'll make it up to her."

"In fact, Chuck and I will go talk to her together when he gets to the office later," Sarah butted in.

"Then I'll be off the hook. Thanks. Before I forget, I got your blind copy of the email to Carina about the camera. I talked to Mr. B about it and he agrees. It'll be next to impossible to trace with only a partial serial number, as the batch it came from was over two thousand pieces in total, three quarters of which have already been sold to wholesalers. And who knows how many have been sold on the retail market." Out of the corner of his eye, Morgan saw someone in the courtyard. All he could see was that it was a petite girl, as she was mostly hidden behind a huge box she was carrying. "New neighbors I see," he said.

"Yes, the apartment must have finally been sold."

"Shit, she's going straight for the fountain. I have to stop her." He ran out the door and intercepted the girl before she could trip over the fountain's outer wall. "Stop," he said. "You're about to crash into the fountain."

"Thank you," the girl replied. "I can't see where I'm going with this box blocking my view."

"Let me help. My name is Morgan, by the way, Morgan Grimes. Welcome to Echo Park."

"I'm Alex," she replied. "Do you live here, too?"

"No, but my best friend does." He took the box from her. It wasn't heavy, but it was rather bulky. "You'll have to guide me. I can't see shit, either."

"No problem. Just go straight… Stop, you're at the door. Let me open it." She then stepped aside to allow Morgan in. "Just leave the box to your right. Thanks for helping."

"It was nothing," he said. "Besides, we'll be seeing each other a lot, since I come here often. You have great neighbors, too."

"I think the realtor mentioned it to my parents when they bought the place. It's great and it's also very convenient for me. It's close to where I work and I can also get to school more easily."

"You're going to college?"

"Yes, I'm on my junior year. But I also work part time at a diner nearby and I occasionally baby-sit for a family I know."

"I'm in management myself," Morgan said. "I work for Orion Computers."

"Phew. I know the firm. They are one of the best out there."

"They are _the _best. Trust me. I have first hand knowledge."

"Most people in my class would kill for an internship there."

"With good grades, you won't have a problem getting one. We're offering internships in almost every department of the company, but the standards are very high."

"My grades are pretty good. I'm hoping to apply either for a summer internship, or for the full school year once I'm a senior."

"You can do both. Summertime interns can be offered an extension into the next school year, if they meet certain performance criteria."

"Again, thank you for your help and the information. I have to get going soon, or I'll be late for my shift at the diner."

"If it's on the way to Orion, I could drive you."

"Yes, it's pretty close to the Orion building, thanks for the offer. Just give me about ten minutes" Alex wasn't worried about getting into a car with a man she'd just met. After all, Morgan seemed to be a very nice guy, plus her father had made sure that she could defend herself should the need arise. Morgan ducked inside Chuck's place to pick up his briefcase, went to congratulate Ellie and Awesome on their engagement and then met Alex, led her to the Millennium Falcon (his AMC Pacer) and held the door for her.

-o-

"You finally remembered that you have bosses to report to, Chuck," his mother said the moment he stepped through her office door.

"Didn't Morgan brief you?"

"He said you'd deliver your report in person. Go ahead. I'm all ears."

"Two main scenes are left and then it goes into post-production."

"Hartley expects to be done by this time next week on the outside," Sarah said, coming up behind Chuck.

Mary rose from her seat to greet the young woman. "Ms. Walker. Chuck has told me many nice things about you. I also know about the recent incidents. You must be going through hell."

Sarah's hand reached for Chuck's. "I can take care of myself. Plus, I have a lot of support, from my family… and my boyfriend."

"You two are…?"

"Yes Mom, we're dating."

"What happened to your 'no distractions at work, office romances rarely turn out good' rule?"

The young couple blushed. "It's different," Chuck said, somewhat lamely.

"I was just teasing you kids. Congratulations." She gave Sarah a hug as well.

"Thank you Mrs. Bartowski."

"Please call me Mary, Sarah dear. Would you like something to drink? Coffee, soda…?"

"I'm good, Mary," Sarah replied.

"Me too, Mom."

"OK, then. Tell me about you two. How did you end up together, if you don't mind me asking?"

Chuck stole a look at Sarah, who nodded. "We first met at the Steel Furies premiere."

"Where I learned that Chuck created the Warrior Angels game", she continued. "You see, I'd already gotten the offer for the part. And then…"

They spent about an hour talking to Mary and Stephen, who'd joined them not long after the beginning of the story, about how they'd ended up together. The elder Bartowskis had never met Sarah before and they were totally charmed by the young woman. They could see how great she and their son were together. They also talked to her about having met her mother. In the end, they all agreed that renewing the acquaintance would be a very good thing.

-o-

"_Mighty Odin, I'm back from Earth. I found new einherjar and brought them to Valhalla, just as you commanded."_

"_I know, Hildr. I saw them arrive."_

"_Would you like me to talk to them, get them acclimated?"_

"_By all means," Odin replied. "You did an excellent job finding men worthy of fighting the final battle by my side, just like I expected you to. You are excused now."_

_The Valkyrie left the throne room and went to the enormous dining hall. There, standing apart from the other brave men that were gathered around the tables, a few were clustered together, talking. "Hello boys," the Valkyrie said, in English._

"_Lieutenant?" Rodney Grinsell asked, surprised._

"_Rod, I was Lieutenant Anderson back on Earth," Hildr explained. "My name is Hildr and I am a Valkyrie. You have been selected to become einherjar."_

"_Ein… what?"_

"_Einherjar," she repeated. "Warriors who will fight by Odin's side when it's time for Ragnarok, the final battle."_

"_I think I'll like this place," another man said._

_Hildr smiled. "Come on. I'll get you some drinks and then we can talk. You must be curious as to what being einherjar entails."_

"_Lead the way, LT… sorry, Hildr." _

"_How come we understand the local language?" Master Sergeant Warren Martin asked._

"_It's one of the mysteries of the afterlife," Hildr laughed. "Remember, you have something very important in common with everyone that was here before you: You are all brave warriors that fell in battle. This alone makes a language barrier very much unimportant." To drive the point home, she'd switched to her mother tongue, yet the men could understand her perfectly. _

_Rod decided to try speaking Norse. "Are we going to meet Odin? I remember you mentioning him when you explained your callsign to us back in A-Stan."_

"_Yes and you're going to like him. For a god, he's what you'd call a very cool guy. He knows how to fight and he knows how to party. Just like everyone here."_

Not long afterwards, the filming of the scene was wrapped up. Hartley and Chuck expressed their satisfaction with the result. All the effort put in the rehearsals over the past few days had paid off. In the movie, in keeping with Norse mythology, where Valkyries often hit it off with heroes or other mortals, Hildr had hooked up with Rod Grinsell, so the final part of the scene had been just the two of them together.

Sarah returned the cape, sword and other Valkyrie accoutrements to the wardrobe and props departments and reviewed the footage with Chuck, Hartley, the assistant director and Magnus. She and Chuck were giving no indication of being together. They'd both agreed on this. The last thing they needed was for the tabloids to get wind of their relationship and start hounding them. And in any case, they were both consummate professionals and right now they were at work.

By the time Sarah returned to her dressing room, the studio was practically deserted. It was rather late, but she had no pressing engagements. The Buy More commercial was scheduled for later in the week, just after principal photography for Warrior Angels would be completed. And the remaining scenes would be a breeze. There were no ancient languages involved and she'd already begun memorizing her lines. Before that, the commentaries for the home media extra features for both Warrior Angels and The Omaha Project would be done very quickly. She sighed as she removed her makeup and the last of her Valkyrie outfit and changed into a t-shirt and jeans. All she wanted now was to spend a nice evening with Chuck. They'd be spending the night at his place.

-o-

Daniel Shaw showed his pass to a guard at the entrance and was waved through. He was too preoccupied with work. After all, he didn't want to give his boss a reason to fire him. He'd quit the job whenever he felt like, preferably after killing this bitch Walker and also collecting his wife's life insurance after eliminating her as well. He was reaching inside his briefcase for some papers when he almost collided with someone at a bend in the hallway.

"Sorry," the other person, a blonde, said.

"No problem," Shaw began. And then he recognized Sarah Walker. His first impulse was to grab her and strangle her on the spot. The problem was that his entry had been logged and he wanted to leave no evidence pointing to him. So, he stood aside to let her pass, which she did. She also smiled her thanks. He looked at her departing form, his eyes full of hate. She was probably going to the man who'd stolen her from him, this Chuck Bartowski character. _Soon, bitch, very soon,_ he thought. _You and your boyfriend will pay for everything._

-o-

Sarah met Chuck in the parking lot of the studio, where they'd left their cars. The Verbansky Corp. guards were constantly watching the cars, as part of the protection scheme. She nodded to the one she could see and walked up to her boyfriend.

"So, what have you planned for tonight, Chuck?"

"I was thinking about a light dinner at my place and then a short Firefly marathon, just like I promised you the other day."

"Sounds fantastic. I'll see you at your place. I'll drop by my parents' first."

"OK. If anything, I'll have more time to cook something nice."

"I'll also make you a little surprise," she smiled and got in her Porsche.

"Can't wait," he told her, just before getting in his own car and driving away behind her.

He got home and went straight to the kitchen. He'd already decided to whip up something his father had taught him how to make: chicken with balsamic glaze. Meanwhile, Sarah had summarily appropriated her mother's kitchen to make what had become her specialty: a nice chocolate soufflé with pieces of fruit inside. She'd loved it ever since she'd first seen her Mom make it and it was the first thing she'd learned to make. Emma and Jack stood by and watched as she hustled and bustled in the kitchen, commenting on how used to sneak into the kitchen even in the middle of the night as a little girl to have some more of her Mom's delicious soufflé. And now she was making it for the man she loved. Incidentally, both her parents approved of Chuck. They'd met him just once and liked him immensely already.

"Mom, should I add the whipped cream now, or at Chuck's?"

"Does Chuck like whipped cream?"

"He loves it."

"I think you should wait until you get to his place. Add the whipped cream, syrup and extra fruit when you serve it."

"You're right, Mom. Like you always say, presentation is as important as the taste."

"Emma has taught you well," Jack said and lovingly wrapped an arm around his wife.

"I think I have everything ready. I'll get going now, as I don't want to be late. I love you guys." She hugged her parents, collected the stuff she'd already packed and went to the door. "By the way, I left you some."

"We know," her parents chorused.

Outside Chuck's she ran into Kathleen and Casey. A few days ago, she'd realized why the big man had always looked familiar to her. His wife was her agent and she had photos of them together at her office. Of course, Sarah already knew their daughter. In fact, she'd been the one to suggest her as a babysitter to her cousin and her husband. They exchanged pleasantries and then she went into Chuck's, using the key he'd given her. They enjoyed the dinner he'd cooked and the dessert she'd made while watching two Firefly episodes in a row.

"You were right, Chuck. I already love this show. And you are a great cook."

"Nah, the Hamburger Helper did all the heavy lifting. Morgan is the chef. He took cooking lessons."

"But you are the one I love," she said and snuggled closer. He wrapped her in his arms and she purred happily like a kitten.

"Your chocolate soufflé is sinful, by the way. I wish I'd saved some for Ellie and Awesome, too. They'd love it."

"I made extra." She shrugged and pointed to an unopened bag on the kitchen counter.

"Damn, I love you."

"Why don't you show me how much?" Sarah asked teasingly, with a suggestive glint in her eyes. Without a word, he picked her up, threw her over a shoulder and carried her kicking and giggling to his room.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N:** This could have been finished yesterday, had I rushed it, but in the end I preferred to go slower and be more thorough. I hope you'll find it worth the wait. One warning though: some of it is not exactly for the faint of heart, although I think it's sufficiently toned down. I hope you'll like it as much as the previous chapters.

* * *

"Hello?" Sarah sleepily answered her ringing phone. Next to her, Chuck groaned in annoyance and turned on his side, without waking up. She heard what the person on the other end of the line had to say. "OK, I believe there shouldn't be a problem. Tell them I'll be there. Thanks." She hung up and plopped back down on the pillows. Kathleen had just called to confirm the arrangements for the Buy More commercial. Fortunately, both the advertising company and Buy More had readily agreed to use the Burbank branch, as it was the most convenient.

"Stay in bed," Chuck mumbled as he felt her move.

"Can't," she replied. "Gotta go to work. Kathleen called. I have to be at the Burbank Buy More in an hour. They're filming the commercial today."

"I know they're doing it today, but it's still early."

"They rescheduled it." She grabbed her robe and got up to go to the bathroom. "You make us some coffee, if you feel up to it. I'm going to take a shower."

"We could take said shower together."

"Chuck," she said, speaking slowly, as if explaining something to a small child. "As much as I'd like to, we don't have the time for it." It was true. Every time they showered together, it took them a lot longer than usual, which was understandable considering they couldn't keep their hands off of each other.

Chuck resigned himself to his fate, pulled on his boxer shorts, pants and a t-shirt, and went to the kitchen. He got the coffee machine going, and then got started on making some French toast. He knew Sarah loved it, especially with strawberries and whipped cream, with some freshly squeezed orange juice to go with it. When she came into the kitchen fully dressed, she planted a big one on him after seeing the lengths he'd gone to in order to keep her fed and happy. Not long later, she was in her car driving to the Buy More Plaza.

Having the day off from work, Chuck at first settled down to wait for her. But he couldn't concentrate on anything. He'd barely managed to get the kitchen squared away when he decided to go to the Buy More and watch her work. He loved doing that. In the courtyard, he ran into Casey.

"Hey Casey," he greeted the big man.

"Good morning Bartowski," Casey returned the greeting. "Going to work?"

"Sorta. Sarah's filming a commercial at the Buy More. I thought it might be a good idea to check it out."

Casey nodded, being one of the few people outside Chuck and Sarah's immediate families who knew about their relationship. "Before you go, can I talk to you for a sec?"

"Sure."

"I've noticed that your buddy Grimes is getting a little too close with my daughter." As always, Casey was blunt and to the point.

"Casey, I know Morgan seems to be immature and reckless sometimes. But let me tell you, he's a good man. I've known him since we were six years old and he's never let me down. He won't hurt Alex. Trust me."

"I'll give him the benefit of doubt… for now."

As if on cue, Morgan and Alex entered the courtyard. This time, they had a little blond girl between them. Chuck knew that Alex worked as a babysitter in addition to waitressing part-time at the diner.

"Hi Chuck," Alex said brightly. The Casey family was getting along great with their new neighbors.

"Hi. Who is this charming young lady?"

"This is Ms. Molly Barker, Sarah's niece."

"Sarah told me you were babysitting her niece, but I never had the pleasure of meeting her until today." He knelt to face the little girl. "Hi, I'm Chuck. I live across the courtyard from Alex."

"I know, I heard," Molly said. "Do you really know Auntie Sarah?"

"Sarah is very dear to me, Molly. I like her a lot. I also know your Aunties Carina and Emma and your Uncle Jack."

Not to be outdone, Molly came up with an appropriate reply. "I know your best friend. He's funny."

"Yes he is."

"He promised to ask you to let me play video games in your apartment." She looked at Chuck with hopeful puppy dog eyes.

Of course, Chuck couldn't – and wouldn't – say no. "I have to go somewhere, but Morgan will let you in. Enjoy your gaming session." Then he turned to Morgan. "Do we have games suitable for a six year old?"

"We'll play Mario Kart," Morgan shrugged. "Plus, I think you have other games we can play as well."

"OK. Have a good time."

"YAY!" Molly exclaimed and hugged Chuck enthusiastically. "Thank you."

"You are welcome. Morgan, Alex, I have soft drinks and snacks in the kitchen, so if Molly needs anything…"

"No sweat dude, we've got it," Morgan assured him.

-o-

Chuck made good time to the Buy More. Just as he'd figured, the filming was just about to begin. He paused at the very familiar entrance and took a look around. It seemed like nothing had changed since the time he'd worked there. And then there was Sarah. He could see her at the Nerd Herd desk, talking to a petite raven haired woman. He'd barely taken two steps in her direction when Big Mike intercepted him.

"Hello Chuck. What brings you here?"

"I was just going to do some shopping, you know. Orion may be a world leader in computers and software, but there are no home appliance product lines, hence my being here."

"You picked a great time to do it, too. We're filming a commercial here today. Guess who's starring."

"Sarah Walker," Chuck replied. "You're forgetting she's also starring in my movie."

"Yeah, about that… ever since the news about the movie broke, sales of the game have skyrocketed. And we're running low on stock."

"I'll take care of it." Chuck fired off a quick email from his phone to the head of Orion's Sales and Distribution section. Then he scribbled on a piece of paper, which he handed to Big Mike. "Call them and tell them how many you need. I arranged for priority delivery."

"Chuck, you're a life saver. And don't you think I don't know you had a hand in this. The suggestion to use my store instead of the Beverly Hills branch could only have come from you. Barclay still can't understand how we pulled the rug from under him, by the way."

"Hey, I only made a suggestion to Ms. Walker, after her agent happened to call her about the commercial during a break from filming Warrior Angels. Damn, I wish I could see Barclay's face… It must have been priceless."

"Mr. Bartowski," Sarah said, approaching them. "I didn't expect to meet you here."

"This is where I shop for home appliances, Ms. Walker," Chuck replied smoothly. He didn't even show any outward signs of a reaction to her skimpy Nerd Herd outfit that consisted of an unusually short black skirt, high heels, white tight fitting shirt tied at the midriff, silver grey tie and name tag, except for a momentary widening of the eyes. Sarah had to admit that he had some righteous acting skills. Big Mike half expected to see a formal handshake between them, so he was somewhat surprised when they high-fived and bumped fists.

"This is where I bought your game from, before I accepted the part in the movie," she said, keeping up the act. After all, the entire world knew they were working closely together on the movie.

"And I can see Anna had a hand helping you with the wardrobe. We certainly didn't have many Herders like you when I was working here."

To an extent, the act they were keeping up was superfluous. Like Kathleen had said, and she was an old hand in the business, the tabloids and the paparazzi weren't really interested in Sarah, as she wasn't one of Hollywood's bad girls. She was famous, yes, but she always kept a low profile. Therefore, she was left pretty much alone by the press. The same had applied when she'd been dating someone the previous year. No one had bothered about it. No scandalous behavior meant being left in peace.

Sarah smiled. "Anna is helping, a lot. So is another one of your old colleagues, a Mr. Barnes. I think he's a better director than the one hired for this job."

"Jeff was always something of an artist." He waited until Big Mike moved away to harangue a couple of the green shirts who were loitering nearby. "I met your niece today. Right now she's at my place, playing video games with Morgan, supervised by Alex."

"If we manage to wrap it up early enough here, I'll meet you back at your place. Hopefully, Molly will still be there. I've missed her."

"Then I'll see you there."

"You can stay until we're done filming."

"And after that I'll slip out and head home. I love you."

"I love you too."

He stayed there and watched as she played the part of a Nerd Herder to perfection. For good measure, the advertising company thought it might be a good idea to have her play a Green Shirt as well, which she did just as efficiently, despite it being an unscheduled addition. He knew her secret. She had a very good, almost photographic, memory and thus she could memorize her lines very easily.

-o-

"Auntie Sarah!" Molly exclaimed happily when she saw her aunt enter Chuck's apartment. Morgan dutifully paused the game while the little girl ran and hugged Sarah.

"Hi sweetie," she said. "How was your day?"

"I beat Morgan at Mario Kart twice in a row!"

"She must be using some kind of a cheat code," Morgan protested.

"Or you're completely out of practice, little buddy," Chuck teased. "Maybe we should ditch Halo and Call of Duty and get back to the basics for a while?"

"Are those two games?" Molly asked.

"Yes, but they are not for little girls. They are for older kids and grownups," Chuck informed her. Sarah's reaction was to blow him a kiss. She was reassured that he wouldn't expose her little niece to anything inappropriate for her age.

"But we have many other games you can play," Morgan chimed in.

They spent the rest of the day with Molly. Sarah even decided to tell Alex to take the few remaining hours of babysitting duty off, but she declined, wanting to spend time with Morgan. She could see how good he was with Molly, which made her like him even more. In the end, after Alex and Morgan left, Chuck packed an overnight bag and followed Sarah to her car, carrying a sleeping Molly in his arms. They would drop her off at home before heading to Sarah's apartment where they would spend the night.

-o-

Sarah's day at the studio doing the commentaries for her two latest movies was fun. She'd wrapped up The Omaha Project related interview and the interview for Warrior Angels was drawing to a close.

"One more thing," the interviewer said. "Did you play the game?"

"I played the game," Sarah confirmed. "In fact, I bought it and played it before I accepted the offer for the part, to see if it was worth it. And let me tell you it was. I was hooked from the opening sequences."

"We've just about covered everything about the movie. Thank you Sarah."

"You are welcome. It's been a pleasure."

"Cut," the assistant director commanded. "It's a wrap, people."

A technician helped Sarah remove her clip-on mike. She thanked him and went to her dressing room to remove her makeup and change into casual clothes. Soon, she had the last of the makeup off. She tossed the last makeup remover pad into the trash, sat back in her chair, closed her eyes and sighed. She couldn't wait to go home with Chuck and spend a pleasant night with him.

Suddenly, a gloved hand clamped over her mouth and she felt cold steel on her throat. "Don't you move or make a sound, or I'll slit your throat, bitch," a male voice whispered menacingly in her ear. It was Shaw. He'd signed himself out, parked a short distance from the studio and sneaked back inside in the back of a delivery van. He'd learned about the regular deliveries each night and he knew security would just glance at the van and wave it through the gate. He'd entered the soundstage hidden in one of the carts unloaded from the van. "Get up," he growled.

Sarah obeyed, but her mind was already racing, trying to figure out a way to escape and subdue her assailant. She had considerable martial arts training, but she wasn't about to attempt anything stupid, not with the sharp edge of an old fashioned straight razor against her throat. As he roughly pulled her upright, he knocked over her chair, a vase and some bottles of cosmetics. The soundstage was deserted. The crew had secured the equipment and gone home. Shaw pulled Sarah to a side door and opened it. They exited to an alley between two soundstages.

"Before we have a little chat, I got something to make sure you won't make a fuss, whore," he hissed. Then she felt the prick of a needle stuck in her left buttock through the fabric of her jeans and realized that he had injected her with a sedative.

Chuck was waiting for her at the parking lot, by their cars. When she didn't show up, he got impatient. So, he decided to go in there and drag her out of the dressing room if he had to. He surreptitiously waved to the Verbansky guard keeping watch over the lot from behind some bushes and went inside. Alarm bells started ringing in his head the moment Sarah didn't answer when he knocked on her dressing room door. The scene inside was the final straw. Her handbag was still there, but things and the chair had been knocked down. It didn't take Mensa intelligence to figure out that something was wrong, very wrong. He reached inside her bag and found her gun and spare mags. Putting the ammo in a pouch of his waist pack, he grabbed his phone and frantically searched through the contacts list while running to the door.

Just outside the soundstage, he ran into Casey, who'd just finished an unscheduled late meeting about the barracks scene they would be filming in an abandoned Army base.

"What's wrong, Bartowski?" Casey asked, seeing Chuck's worried expression.

"Sarah's missing. It looks like there's been a struggle in her dressing room. Call the cops, I'll inform security." He gave Casey a card. "This is Detective White's number. She's the one working the case."

"Roger that." He whipped out his phone and moved aside to talk. By the time he was done, Chuck had disappeared, obviously unwilling to wait for either security or the cops to show up, so he'd decided to go look for her on his own. The kid would need backup, Casey thought and decided that he would be said needed backup. He finished the call and took off after Chuck.

In the meantime, Chuck was in one of the maze of hallways inside the soundstage, having called Carina as well, when he heard voices. "We would have been great together, Sarah," a man said. "I'd have left my wife for you. But you chose to ignore me." It had to be the stalker. Chuck ran to the nearest door that opened to the alley.

"You sent me letters," Sarah stated, trying to buy enough time for Chuck to come looking for her and find her. "I only realized it the other day. You know, it was really dumb making your letters look like junk mail. Most people, myself included, don't bother with it and just throw it away."

"SHUT UP!" Shaw yelled. "I thought you would be smart enough to understand, but obviously I was very much wrong. And now you're sacking up with that dork."

"It's Nerd, thank you very much," Chuck said, entering the alley, gun leveled and aimed at Shaw. "I'm a Professional Nerd."

"Drop the gun or I'll give her a second smile," Shaw said threateningly.

"Be reasonable, man. Security and cops are going to be here any minute now. I suggest you drop the knife, razor, or whatever it is you're holding." Chuck was hoping Shaw wouldn't call his partial bluff. Yes, he had called security and Casey the cops, but the studio was huge. For the moment, he didn't dare shoot. He was good with firearms, from both playing video games and helping develop training and aiming aids for the military and law enforcement at Orion, but Sarah was in his line of fire. He couldn't – and wouldn't – risk taking the shot. All he could do now was keep the stalker talking and steal every possible second until help arrived. So he stood his ground, straining his ears for the sound of sirens and running feet that would signal the arrival of reinforcements.

For her part, Sarah was trying to fight the influence of the drug. It had to be a mild solution, as she could still stand, albeit with some effort, but in any case it was enough to prevent her from fighting back. She knew what Chuck was doing and she was racking her brain to come up with ways to help him.

"You know, it's better that you're here," Shaw said smiling dementedly. "You are going to watch her die, knowing there was nothing you could do to prevent it." He'd lost all touch with reality. The part about security and the police coming probably hadn't even registered. Still, Chuck and Sarah needed to do something to keep him distracted and talking.

"You tried twice before and failed," Chuck stated. He hoped he wouldn't infuriate the psycho into doing something stupid, but he had to try and drive a point home. "But the difference is that you got away with it. You won't get away now, unless you simply drop your weapon and walk away. It's a good deal. Take it."

"I have another idea," Shaw laughed. He turned Sarah so that she was facing him, pulled her to him and pressed his lips on hers. She kept them closed, determined not to give in. She knew he was taunting them. "How was it, slut? Did you like it? Would you like some more?"

Out of the corner of her eye, Sarah could see Chuck still standing there in helpless rage, gun still leveled and rock steady, but with his finger off the trigger. She had to give him a clean shot. Gathering her strength, she arched her back and head-butted Shaw as hard as she could, the sudden impact breaking the cartilage of his nose and sending him reeling backwards into a machine that was parked in the alley, covered by a tarpaulin.

Shaw staggered but managed to stay upright, grabbing and pulling at the tarp as the blood gushed out of his broken nose and tears streamed from his eyes. He must have pushed an ignition button when he collided with the machine, because the roar of a diesel engine filled the night air. Insane with rage, he focused on Sarah, who'd stumbled a couple of steps back, but was still on her feet. He raised the razor to bring it down in a wide slashing arc.

"NO!" Chuck yelled and pulled the trigger twice in rapid succession. Sarah's move had given him the clean shot he needed. The nine millimeter bullets hit Shaw high up in his left shoulder, the force of the double impact sending him half-reeling, half-spinning away from Sarah.

Casey had heard the voices of three people in the alley and stealthily made his way to the loading dock, from where he could observe unseen. As he watched the scene unfold, he also looked around for a weapon. His lips twisted into a smile when he saw a harpoon gun secured to a handling trolley just inside the soundstage. He rolled it out on the loading dock, hurriedly glanced at the instructions and readied it. He knew the harpoon was tipped with a foam rubber head, but at the very least he could use it to knock Sarah's assailant off balance. He fired at almost the same moment Chuck did.

It worked. And it worked too well. Chuck's shots eliminated the immediate danger to Sarah, while Casey's well aimed shot sent Shaw into the funnel-shaped feed hopper of the now working machine. Said machine was a large wood chipper. The rollers caught Shaw's left hand, pulling him inside. He screamed as his hand and arm were ground to pieces by the metal teeth inside the machine. Then the scream turned into an awful gurgling sound as the rest of him was pulled in and turned to bits. His bloody pieces flew out from the outlet and splattered on the wall of the next soundstage, then sliding down and gathering in a gory pile.

Sarah gasped in horror and averted her eyes from the grisly spectacle. Chuck ran to her and enveloped her in his arms, cradling her close to him and helping her stay upright. "It's all right now. It's over," he whispered in her ear. "Let's get you out of here." She looked up at him and nodded weakly.

The sound of people running and the wail of police sirens finally announced the arrival of help. Not that it was needed any more.

While Chuck was taking Sarah to an ambulance where the paramedics could take a look at her, Casey stood and surveyed the scene for a moment. "The coroner will need tweezers and a sponge to get this guy to the chop shop," he mused. Shaking his head, he shoved his hands in his pockets and went to join the others.

Thanks to a vial they had found fallen on the ground, the paramedics knew what Shaw had injected Sarah with and told her it would wear off soon. She, Chuck and Casey then proceeded to give their statements to Detective White. A mangled but still legible access card found among the pulverized remains identified the psycho stalker as one Daniel Shaw, who lived in a suburban cul-de-sac called Meadow Branch. Alexis sent units there and they reported finding Evelyn Shaw, trussed up and thrown in the house's crawlspace, but alive. Shaw had been planning to dump her in the desert until she died of thirst and starvation, reporting her missing in the interim. It was a smart plan, as it would have made pinpointing cause of death difficult

"Thanks to Johnny here she'll be spared the hassle of a divorce," Carina commented dryly when White gave them the news. The FBI shrink had been right all along about the stalker's profile. "Chucky, take Sarah home. I'll come see her after Detective White and I are done here. Make sure she gets some rest."

"Okie-dokie. Come on, Sarah."

Before allowing Chuck to lead her away, she reached in a pocket and pulled out the keys to her beloved Porsche. "Sis, I trust you'll bring me Jaime in one piece."

"Jaime?" Chuck queried.

"Um, yes, I kind of named my Porsche after the Bionic Woman, because she's really fast," she admitted reluctantly. "Go on, tease me about being a closet nerd."

"Why should I do that? Besides, if it made you a nerd, you'd be the most beautiful, badassest and hottest nerd ever."

"You certainly know how to compliment a lady," she smiled foxily. She could feel the drug already wearing off. "Let's go home now."

"Which home? Yours or mine?"

"Definitely yours," she replied.

Later, in his bedroom, he had her tucked in and sat on the bed next to her. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," she replied. "You did great out there."

"I had help," he said modestly. "Plus, I knew backup would arrive soon."

"Chuck?"

"Yes?"

"Shut up and kiss me."


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N:** For starters, let me tell you how glad I am that you liked Shaw's demise and how it came about so much. I'd been planning it ever since deciding to include him in the story as the psycho stalker. And apparently all the thought and effort that went into it paid off. Now, Chuck and Sarah are free to make further progress in their relationship. Enjoy!

* * *

When Carina came up to check on Sarah later, she was asleep and Chuck was watching over her. He took his girlfriend's sister to the living room, offered her a beer and they just talked. They were both pretty confident that the incident with the psychopath wouldn't have a lasting effect on her. In fact, since she'd done her fair share in foiling his plots and in disposing of him – Carina thought the way Shaw died was very movie worthy indeed – she wouldn't even have what they'd decided to call the damsel syndrome.

"Sarah's a tough cookie," Carina pointed out. "But she also has a good heart, which makes her center a bit gooey."

"I know what you mean. But she has all of us to protect her as required."

"Yep. You, Chucky, are the final piece in her armor. An armor designed not to keep the world out, but to help her face it, and everything it can throw at her, head on."

"How very poetic," he smiled. "But kind of true as well, I must admit."

"What are you going to do now?"

"She insisted on sticking to the schedule for finishing the movie, so as soon as Graham's people give the go ahead after prepping the site, she'll go to the next filming location. Hartley hopes to do the photography there in three days tops. Immediately after that, they'll do the customary last commentaries and then it's straight to final editing and post-production. And you just gave me an idea. I know Graham and his promotion department will come up with it anyway, but I'll start planning for an aggressive advertising campaign on the Orion site and also in conventions like Comic-Con."

"The police, the studio and Verbansky Corp. are all keeping everything that happened tonight under wraps. The last thing everyone needs is the press getting in the way. Besides, stopping that idiot from murdering his poor wife was another bonus. And since he's dead, there won't be a trial, so White can keep everything quiet, including his presence at the studio and what happened there."

"Do we have to talk about him?" Chuck complained.

"You're absolutely right. We shouldn't waste any more time on him." Carina heard something from the study. "What was that?"

"What?"

"I heard something like a ding, or a bleep…"

"Oh, it's my computer. I must have a new email in my inbox. If you'll excuse me… It may be important."

"By all means, go ahead."

He was back in minutes. "It was from the production company. Everything is ready on the set. Sarah and I will go there tomorrow. She insisted on it, like I said before."

"My sister is an incorrigible workaholic. But I'm hoping you'll help make her change a little."

"She already has. She's all business on the set, but when we are together, alone or with family and friends, she's relaxed and doesn't think about work… much."

-o-

"Come on!" Sarah complained loudly. "It wasn't even inside the strike zone!" Other cast and crew members voiced their agreement as Chuck walked in. It was the second day of on location filming and he'd been in a meeting with Hartley, his assistants and Casey. In the mess hall, everyone who didn't have any work to do was watching a College World Series game on a humungous Orion flat screen high definition TV. Graham's crews had done a great job in the former military base, making personnel quarters habitable again and even preparing a common dining and entertainment area, not to mention the PX used for some scenes.

"What's the score so far?" Chuck asked, sitting down next to Sarah.

"You're lucky. The game is still in the beginning," she replied. "Want a beer?"

"Sure."

"Hey Javier!" Sarah called out to a fellow actor, who was sitting near an ice chest. "Can we have a beer here, please?"

"Catch!" Javier 'El Bandido' Cruz tossed Chuck a bottle of Bud. Cruz was quite famous for his bad guy roles, hence the nickname. However, he'd lately begun trying different roles, as he didn't want to be stuck playing the bad guy until retirement. In Warrior Angels, he was playing a tough grizzled NCO in LT Anderson's unit.

"Gracias," Chuck said. Twisting the cap off, he clinked bottles with Sarah and took a sip of the ice cold brew.

Since neither Harvard nor Stanford had made it to the CWS, Chuck and Sarah were free to enjoy the game without locking horns over which team was better. In any case, both were more of football and basketball fans, even though they enjoyed a good baseball game once in a while.

Hartley Winterbottom always liked to keep things organized and cover all his bases. Therefore, after three days of filming, he asked Sarah to sit and do an add-on for the commentary before heading back to LA. This time it was a group interview, with the leading actors and the director answering questions about the movie. The set was being dismantled while the interviews were taking place. Ever modest and undemanding, Sarah had simply stayed in the BOQ room allocated to her character. They had shot some interior scenes in there early on, but after that she'd used the domicile instead of a trailer. But every night she'd sneak out to Chuck's hi-tech RV for her daily dose of Chuck, i.e. love and affection.

-o-

A few days after the last scene of Warrior Angels had been completed, Sarah was checking her email in Chuck's study. While looking for a pen and notepad to write a few things down, she almost knocked over a stack of printed pages bearing Chuck's handwritten annotations. Curious, she speed-read the top sheet. And then she was hooked. In fact, she didn't stop until she finished the last page. Then, she sat back in Chuck's chair, thinking about ways to make it all even better. The next thing she knew, someone was unlocking the front door. She was expecting Chuck, but it turned out to be someone else.

"Ellie?" Sarah asked, surprised to see Chuck's sister there.

"Chuck will be home soon. I know you were expecting him, but he had some things to take care of. Can we talk?"

"Yes. Yes, of course. Take a seat, Ellie."

"Thank you. I need your help."

"Tell me. There's nothing I wouldn't do for you."

"Including being my maid of honor at the wedding?"

"Uh, could you please repeat that?"

"Sarah, would you like to be my maid of honor?"

"Yes," Sarah replied without hesitation. "I'd consider it an honor – pun intended." The next moment she was trapped in an Ellie-hug. "Thank you. Just so you know, Devon asked Chuck to be his best man. He accepted."

"Of course he did. But does he know what being a best man entails?"

"You lost me there, Sarah."

"The bachelor party, for one," Sarah explained. "Chuck, as the best man, will have to plan the whole thing."

"He wouldn't know what to do."

"That means we'll have to keep him away from any potential sources of bad influence. Unless of course he comes up with something harmless, like a camping trip to, say, Las Vecas instead of a weekend in Sin City. I've been there and it's fantastic."

"Or a fun filled weekend at the family cabin in Bishop," Ellie added. "The worst he can do is ask Morgan, who'd be just as clueless and… oh, no!"

"What?"

"I know what he'll do. He'll call Bryce, his college roommate, and ask for his advice."

"You make it sound like it's a recipe for disaster."

"Well, it definitely has the potential. Bryce was, and probably still is, rather wild. Sure, he and Chuck had a great time in college, but…" She let it hang before she remembered something from that time. "Let me illustrate with an example: Once, they went to a party. And they got blind drunk. In the end Chuck had to fish Bryce out of a fountain and carry him back to the frat house. You should have heard Jill describe the scene. My parents and I were a little mad at Chuck, but he's got an unusually high alcohol tolerance, as it turned out."

Sarah smiled. "Being the maid of honor, planning for your bachelorette party will be my responsibility, right?"

"Yes," Ellie replied, looking at Sarah suspiciously.

"I'm no stranger to partying hard, but I am as clueless about that kind of stuff as Chuck is, so I'll be seeking my sister's counsel. But I don't think it'll get out of hand, either with me or with Chuck. You need to trust us on this, Ellie."

Convinced, Ellie nodded and smiled. "Wanna look at bridesmaids' dresses?"

-o-

With her work obligations over, Sarah decided to take a short vacation. Of course, she'd still be available every time Ellie needed her to help with the wedding stuff. For the moment, she was cheerfully walking into the Orion building. The lobby staff knew her from previous visits, so a security guard merely escorted her to the executive elevators. She rode to Chuck's office floor and knocked on his door.

"Come in!"

"Hi Chuck," she smiled sweetly.

"Sarah! What a nice surprise. Can I get you anything?"

"Sure. You," she replied. "Do you have much work to do?"

"Nah, I was about done for the day."

"Fantastic." She tossed him a gym bag. "Go to your private bathroom and change."

"What is this?" Chuck asked suspiciously. "It's not about your ideas for Ellie's bachelorette party, is it?"

"Nope. I just stopped by your place and got you some casual clothes, some beachwear… and something else. We are going to the beach."

"The beach?" Chuck echoed.

Sarah grabbed the tip of his tie and reeled him in. "Yes, the beach. I'm on vacation now, and it won't be complete without us going to the beach." When she'd pulled him sufficiently close, she pressed her lips on his. The kiss was teasingly chaste and brief. "Now go change," she commanded imperiously. For good measure she gave him a shove towards the en suite bathroom.

He came back out wearing Bermuda shorts over swim trunks and a t-shirt. While he was in the bathroom, Sarah had locked the door and changed into a snug fitting tank top and denim shorts over her bikini.

"Wow," he said, always awed by her beauty.

"The beach awaits." Without further ado, she led him to an elevator and they rode to the parking garage together. There, a second surprise awaited Chuck. Parked next to his car, in all its classic glory, was his Dad's old Ford Bronco. He looked quizzically at Sarah.

"I called your Dad early in the morning," she explained. "He was gracious enough to let me borrow it. Then I dropped by your place for the clothes and the rest."

"What do you mean by rest?"

She pulled him closer to the Bronco and pointed to the roof. "Ta-da!"

"Surfboards?" Chuck asked, very much surprised.

"Why not? Ellie said you can surf."

"I'm afraid I'm out of practice."

"Riding a surfboard is like riding a bicycle," she laughed. "Or are you chicken, Mr. Bartowski?"

That did the trick. One of the things Chuck could not resist was a good challenge. "I'm driving," he declared.

She merely dangled the keys in front of him. He grabbed them, they got in the car and drove off. He easily found a place to park near his favorite spot. Sarah quickly kicked off her flip-flops, removed her shorts and tank top and pulled on a shorty wetsuit, black and electric blue, over her teal green bikini. It was also shorter than most shorty wetsuits, the pants ending above mid-thigh. The suit she'd brought along for Chuck was black with blue and white patches. Again, all Chuck could do was gape. The woman looked amazing in anything. Of course, the tight fit of the wetsuit showed off her shapely body to advantage.

"Ready, Chuck?"

"Ready," he confirmed. They grabbed a surfboard each and headed for the water.

Sarah had an inspiration. "Race you to the water," she said and took off running.

Even though she had a head start and was in shape, Chuck's height and long stride allowed him to catch up just before the surf line. "You tried to cheat," he accused her, planting his surfboard in the wet sand.

"I do not cheat," she replied with mock indignation.

"You just did," he countered.

"Did not," she insisted. He just grabbed her, threw her over a shoulder and ran into the water carrying her. And then he unceremoniously dunked her.

"Yes you did," he laughed when she came up, spluttering.

She just splashed him and went to retrieve her board. He did the same and soon they were riding the waves. Sarah had to admit that for a nerd he was a very good surfer. Awesome's influence, she surmised.

Later, they left their surfboards on the beach, shimmied out of their wetsuits and went for a swim. When they decided that they needed to take a breather, they lay down on a large beach mat and soaked up the sun. He rubbed some lotion on her, throwing in a relaxing massage for good measure and she returned the favor.

"When are you going to take your vacation, Chuck?" Sarah asked as they rested on their backs.

"I got started on a new project," he replied honestly. "But there's no rush. It can wait. After all, it's just a game."

"Just a game? How come you didn't ask me to do voice for a character?"

"Because it's unnecessary. It's an entertaining, yet educational game for children about your niece's age. Come to think of it, maybe I should ask her to proof it for me when it's finished."

"That's very sweet of you, Chuck," she said and kissed him. They were on a public area, but no one noticed. "For a moment I thought you were talking about another game you're planning to write. I saw your notes," she confessed.

Or so it seemed. Not very far away, two women were sitting in beach chairs under an umbrella talking. One of them did a double take in Chuck and Sarah's direction. "Hey look, that's Sarah," she said.

The other one looked at her. "What Sarah? Our Sarah?"

"The one and only. And she's not alone."

"Amy, it's none of our business."

"It's none of _your_ business, Zondra, but I'm a journalist, remember?"

"Please tell me you won't stoop to tabloid level!"

"Me? Hell, no. I'll ask her first. Besides, I've missed her."

"So have I."

"See? How about an impromptu reunion of Harvard's notorious CAT Squad?"

"Give them some time first," the woman called Zondra cautioned. "I don't think they'll appreciate us interrupting them right now."

They didn't have to wait long. Soon, Sarah just happened to glance in their direction and they both waved. She recognized them instantly and jumped up. "Chuck, I just saw a couple of old friends. Let's go say hi to them."

"Certainly," he replied. He was always eager to learn new things about her. He followed her to where the other two women were sitting. Sarah hugged her old friends.

"Chuck, I want you to meet Amy Smith and Zondra Rizzo, my roommates and sorority sisters in Harvard. Ladies, meet my boyfriend Chuck Bartowski."

"So," Amy began. "You are the one behind Sarah's latest movie."

"I created the game that the movie was based on, but otherwise guilty as charged."

"People are under the impression that you just worked together, but we know better now, right Zondra?"

"We saw it with our own eyes," Zondra confirmed. "Congratulations, by the way. Sarah is a great girl."

"Don't I know it," Chuck said and smiled at Sarah.

"You two are a walking fairytale," Amy commented. "But I think it was about damn time our friend found a good man."

Both Sarah and Chuck blushed at the compliments. "Thank you," they said.

"You must really grant me an interview, Sarah. If anything, you've been busy lately. Three movies, all in less than a year, starting with Steel Furies, continuing with The Omaha Project and culminating in Warrior Angels? I promise not to get into personal stuff without your approval. After all, you're a fellow CAT."

"CAT?" Chuck queried.

"In Harvard the three of us were known as the CAT Squad," Zondra explained. "Sarah's sister Carina was also an honorary member."

"Those were good times," Amy added. "All of us, especially Sarah, were straight A students, yet we managed to have lots and lots of fun. We were quite the party animals back then. Now, I'm working for a magazine, Zondra made partner in her uncle's law firm and Sarah… well, you know all about Sarah."

"I have to warn you, I'm allergic to cats," Chuck joked.

"Yet you seem to have no problem around me," Sarah purred.

"You are a very special breed of cat," he deadpanned.

Amy cleared her throat and burst their private little bubble. "Sarah, I was wondering… Can we turn this chance meeting into an interview for the magazine? Like I said before, I promise not to dabble into your private life much."

Sarah smiled. "I don't think I've ever given you an interview, Amy."

"Until recently, I was mostly covering the fashion side of things. And but for a sudden illness, I'd have covered the Steel Furies premiere."

"Nothing serious, I hope."

"I just had my appendix taken out," Amy shrugged. "I was pretty miserable for a couple of days, but now I'm good as new."

Amy and Sarah talked for a little while. Chuck had given them his Orion phone to use as a recorder for the interview. In the meantime, Zondra grilled him about computers and software made by Orion. The ones they had at the office were beginning to show their age and she wanted top of the line equipment to be had at reasonable prices. He promised to work on the deal personally.

"Thank you for everything, Sarah," Amy said. "I really enjoyed our chat. I wish I had a camera to take a picture of you for the article though… unless you are free to arrange a photo session with a photographer from the magazine.

"There's no need for that," Chuck interjected. "My phone has a camera capable of taking professional grade photos."

Amy looked hopefully at Sarah. Chuck merely retrieved his phone, told them to smile and snapped a picture. Then he suggested that Sarah pose with her surfboard. Amy enthusiastically endorsed the idea. When he was done, he used the Bluetooth feature to transfer the interview recording and the photos to Amy's laptop. Finally, all four went to lunch. Chuck really enjoyed the recounting of the CAT Squad's escapades the girls regaled him with.

-o-

A few days later, he and Sarah were in his living room, sitting on the couch. He had his arms around her, while she was resting her back against his chest. Resting on the coffee table was the latest issue of the magazine Amy worked for. Now was a good time to read the article with Sarah's interview. They read it together. The photos Chuck had taken of Amy and Sarah together and of Sarah in her bikini with her surfboard were included, too.

"Amy is a good writer," Sarah remarked. "She merely mentioned that I'm seeing someone special, and having met him she wholeheartedly agrees with me."

"Respecting our privacy must have earned her a few brownie points with her boss. I know the magazine is one of the more serious ones out there. And I like the way she kept praising you."

"Uh-huh. How did the deal with Zondra's law firm go?"

"The deliveries have been made, the equipment installed and now the people there are attending courses given by Orion customer support personnel. I can tell they're very satisfied with the service they got. That said, how was your day?"

"It was mostly quiet. Ellie and I had the time to work on stuff for her wedding, I got to see Molly while you were overseeing the delivery at Zondra's office and then you came home."

The way she referred to his place as home did not escape his attention. She'd said it like she felt it was her home, too, not just his. So he took the plunge. "Move in with me, Sarah."

At first, she looked at him with surprise evident all over her face. But then she smiled widely. "Yes," she replied without any more hesitation. "I'll move in with you."

"We can take advantage of our vacation time to do the moving. And when we're done, I'll take you to the family cabin near Bishop for a few days. You'll love it there."

"I'm sure I will. Kathleen knows I'm on vacation, so I'll be looking at job offers after we get back."

"Perfect," Chuck said and kissed her.

"I just want you to know one thing: I'm an actress, Chuck, which involves a fair amount of traveling. But no matter where I go, or for how long, I'll always be thinking of you. I love you."

"I love you too. It's going to work between us, exactly because we love each other so much."

Their next kiss was interrupted by a scream from next door.

"What the hell was that?" Sarah asked, alarmed.

"Ellie probably learned that Devon's parents are going to fly in from Connecticut very soon, maybe even arriving this morning. And she freaked out big time. No big deal. You'll get used to her occasional freak-outs."

They laughed before sharing another kiss.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N:** When the first chapter was published, the story was expected to be ten chapters long, twelve at the most. But as it unfolded, the original goal became quite unrealistic. Therefore, we get to chapter sixteen, the final installment in this fic. Said chapter is also an experiment I decided to do, about how many different scenes can be crammed in ten pages of Word document. I hope it worked. That said, I'd like to thank you all for everything: reviews, comments, favorites, alerts and C2s. All the above were a perfect motivation to keep writing. As for what comes next, one of you, Ripe, suggested a story based on Sarah being a Valkyrie. It's under consideration, along with other alternatives. What do you guys think? Should my next story be Chuck vs the Warrior Angel (or Chuck vs the Valkyrie), Chuck vs the Golden Scorpion (a heist plot), Chuck vs the Witch, or another story, one closer to canon but still AU, I am considering writing? Thank you in advance for any responses to the question.

* * *

"Everything OK, Sarah?" Craig Turner asked her. "You seem a little distracted."

Sarah stopped toying with the charm bracelet Chuck had given her and smiled at the older actor. "I miss someone special, that's all."

"Ah, young love," Turner nodded understandingly. "I remember how it was with me and Laura."

"How did you manage?"

"We did it by trial and error, mostly error."

"He's right," Laura Turner butted in on the conversation. "Otherwise we wouldn't have divorced twice."

"But you're married now," Sarah said.

"We are and we love each other very much, dear. Tell me, is your sweetheart in the biz?"

"No, he's what he calls a Professional Nerd. He's into computers and stuff." Sarah's eyes sparkled just by talking about Chuck.

"Oi! Oi! Oi! The party's still on, you know," a new voice with an Australian accent said. It was rock star Tyler Martin, who had a part in the movie as well. "Sarah, babe, what was the long face all about?"

"Tyler, you're a pretty nice guy once one sees past your rock star bad boy thing." Sarah's fingers trailed over Tyler's shirt collar. Then she savagely lifted him almost to eye level and fixed him with a steely glare. "But call me babe one more time and I'll break both your legs. Only my boyfriend has the right to call me that."

"Ah, you're missing him." Tyler hoped he'd managed to hide his surprise at Sarah's abrupt change of attitude.

"Very much," she agreed, letting him go.

Just in case, he decided to try and appease her a little more. "I think you need to see the silver lining here. Filming is over. Tomorrow we all go home and you'll see him again."

"I'll drink to that." Sarah took a champagne flute from a passing waiter and raised it. "To our loved ones."

"Hear, hear. To loved ones," Craig Turner agreed.

The party was in honor of the movie's cast and crew and it had been organized by none other than the President of Costa Gravas Alejandro Goya. Being a crafty man, he knew it'd be reported in various news outlets and he wanted to further boost the already booming tourism industry in the small Caribbean island state. His wife Hortencia had been behind the idea 100% and taken it upon herself to plan it. Right now, the Goyas approached the small group. "Forgive the interruption, but I believe Senorita Walker did not have the chance to meet us yet," Goya said.

"Mr. President," Sarah said respectfully.

"Please, it's Alejandro. This is a party, no?"

"It is," she agreed. "And it's a very good one, too."

"May I be so bold as to ask for your autograph?"

"I'd consider it an honor."

Goya whispered something to an aide, who left and returned with a production still of Sarah in the movie, printed off the internet, and a felt tip pen. Sarah took it and signed it after writing a short dedication.

-o-

In the morning, Sarah got up feeling refreshed and excited. Today she was going home. The mere thought of home was relaxing… until she happened to glance at her watch. "Damn," she gasped. She would have to hurry to make her flight. Fortunately, she had already packed. She threw her nightgown in a bag, pulled on a sundress and slipped a pair of sandals on her feet. Then she ran to the elevators, lugging her bags. She flagged down the first cab she saw and promised the driver a hefty tip if he could get her to the airport on time.

She'd picked the right driver, as it turned out. The man should be a race car driver, Sarah thought as he weaved his way through the chaotic early morning traffic. In the end he got her to the airport with time to spare. She paid the fare, plus more than twice that in tip.

"It's too much," the driver protested.

"You've earned it," she said.

"How about an autograph and we call it even, Ms. Walker."

"You recognized me?"

"It'd be hard not to. My kids love the Golden Scorpion. So do I, by the way."

She gave him three autographs, one each for him and his kids and convinced him to take the tip as well. Then she ran inside the terminal. She was about to join the queue to the check-in counter, when an airport employee and an airline staffer approached her.

"Ms. Walker?"

"Yes?"

"There's been a change in your flight. Please follow me," the airport guy said. He helped her load her bags in an electric cart. They got in and drove off towards the private section of the terminal. Bypassing all the hassle, he took her straight to the apron outside where an executive jet was parked. "You'll be flying home in this," he explained. The ground crew loaded her luggage in the plane and she went up the air stairs.

"Hi Sarah."

_I'm still asleep and dreaming,_ she thought, because, in the luxuriously furnished jet was none other than Chuck Bartowski, smiling and holding a mimosa out to her. As if in a trance, she took a few steps in his direction, picked up the glass and downed the mimosa in one gulp. _It's real_, she decided and launched herself into Chuck's arms. They kissed, long, hard and loving.

"How…?"

"I missed you," he said by way of explanation.

"Well, I missed you too. A lot." Then her grin turned foxy. "Do you think we have time to make up for ten days apart?"

Chuck showed her to the small but very comfortable sleeping compartment. "I believe we will have at least covered the basics by the time we get to Connecticut."

"Huh?"

"Right, I forgot to tell you the last time we talked over the phone. We're picking up the Very Awesomes and taking them to LA for the wedding."

"So I'll finally get to meet the dreaded Very Awesomes." The last time they'd been in LA, Chuck and Sarah had been on vacation and missed seeing them. Then, after two memorable weeks, Sarah had been offered a supporting part in a movie. The actress originally cast for it had broken a leg in a bicycle accident and Sarah just so happened to be available. The financial incentive had also been excellent and so she flew out to Costa Gravas, completing her scenes in less than ten days. She'd accepted on that condition, as she wanted to be home in time for Ellie and Devon's wedding.

By the time the Orion executive jet landed for the stopover in Connecticut, Chuck and Sarah had proved just how much they'd missed each other. The flight had been very pleasant too, even with some turbulence over Florida. Not that they'd noticed anyway.

Woody and Honey Woodcomb more than appreciated the gesture of Chuck picking them up and taking them to LA for the wedding. Naturally, they'd been totally charmed by Sarah from the moment they met her. Not only were they thrilled to learn that the maid of honor was a famous A-list actress (it was the surprise Ellie and Devon had mentioned), but her personality won them over as well.

-o-

"Bro, I admit, your idea for my bachelor party was awesome," Devon said as he, Chuck, Morgan, Bryce and Casey walked to the wrought iron gate at the entrance to the courtyard. They were tired and a bit buzzed, but they'd be fine long before the morning came.

"I had lots and lots of help," Chuck replied modestly.

"Thanks for letting me wait for Jill with you guys," Bryce told Chuck and Morgan.

"They probably got home before us anyway," Morgan remarked. "Or not," he added when he saw no lights in either Chuck or Devon's apartment. Kathleen also confirmed their suspicions: The girls hadn't come home yet.

They came home after four in the morning… and they woke everyone else up with their loud and very much off-key singing. A loud splash was also heard as Carina tripped and fell into the fountain. Sarah and Ellie couldn't stop laughing as they fished her out, dripping wet but still in good humor and high spirits, really high spirits.

"I'm never drinking again," Sarah whined, trying to drink water from a glass Chuck was holding for her and at the same time keep an icepack from falling off of her head.

"At least I hope you had a good time."

"Oh, we had a good time, Chucky," Carina slurred. She was leaning against the doorframe for support. And she was wearing just a bathrobe. "I sense a monumental hangover coming. Do you have any aspirin, or did Sarah take it all?"

"Aspirin, antacids and water are on the guest room nightstand," Chuck informed her.

"Guest room. Nightstand. Got it. Sarah, don't do anything I wouldn't do," she said and staggered to the guest room.

"I think I should take her advice, Chuck," Sarah said gamely, even though her voice was barely above a hoarse mumble.

"If you were sober, I know you'd give me a run for my money. But right now you're hammered, baby."

"You know, Tyler Martin called me babe once… I threatened to break both his legs if he said that again." She dissolved into a fit of giggles. "You're the only one who gets to use these terms of endearment with me." Even though she was blind drunk she was quite articulate.

Someone knocked hesitantly on their room's door. "Come in," Chuck called out.

"Are you guys decent?" Morgan asked, still not opening the door.

"Would I tell you to come in otherwise?"

"Good point," he conceded and entered. "It's just… Carina came into the guest room, threw her bathrobe on the floor, chugged down the water and the other stuff you left out for her and plopped down on the bed. I'm damn sure that she didn't even see me in there. Anyway, I came to see if you guys need anything."

"We're good," Chuck informed him.

"OK. Should you need my help, I'll be on the couch. Goodnight."

Chuck nodded in acknowledgment and turned his attention back to Sarah, only to find her fast asleep in his arms. She was going to have a mild hangover in the morning, but nothing serious.

The ladies' wild bachelorette party, or more accurately its aftermath, was the only hiccup in the entire Ellie/Devon wedding process. The rehearsal dinner went smoothly, much to everyone's relief, as the girls had overcome their mild hangovers. The wedding itself was one for the books. As a gift to Ellie, Chuck, his parents and Devon had conspired to have it take place on a beautiful beach. With Stephen and Mary's connections, cutting through all the red tape and getting the necessary permits had been a breeze. Ellie and Devon exchanged their vows in front of the Justice of the Peace, who then pronounced them man and wife. The reception was held in the apartment complex courtyard, and the catering was from the Miller. Sarah's Mom had been glad to help. She really liked Chuck and she'd gotten to know the now married Ellie and Devon pretty well, too.

Chuck, dapper in his tailored suit, and Sarah, stunning in the long blue bridesmaid's dress (underneath which she was wearing Ellie's garter after Chuck had caught it – she'd caught the bouquet, although she was quite certain that it was the result of an evil conspiracy between Ellie and Carina, and she was actually right about it), were dancing, holding on to each other. She could see how happy he was for his sister and in turn it made her happier.

-o-

A few months later…

The people gathered outside one of LA's most famous movie theaters heard the characteristic sound of a high powered turbo diesel engine, even over all the noise they made. And the vehicle powered by said engine was certainly a head turner. While the crowd was expecting flashy limousines, this one was a desert tan painted hulking military vehicle. The same one Orion had wangled from the Army in exchange for a brand new replacement straight from the factory. The Maxxpro Dash still bore the Valkyrie wings painted on it back at Ft. Irwin. It stopped next to the red carpet and the side door and rear ramp opened. Chuck was the first one out and turned to offer his hand to Sarah and help her climb down the steps. The other leading actors, Hartley Winterbottom and Langston Graham exited the vehicle by going down the rear ramp. With everyone safely on the red carpet, the driver blew the horn and drove off.

Flashbulbs were constantly going off as photographers snapped picture after picture of the famous people attending the Warrior Angels premiere. Amy caught Sarah's eye and got a thumbs-up, which she promptly returned. The movie's opening had been eagerly awaited, the excitement not having slackened for a day ever since the announcement had been made. Among the people who were going to see it for the first time were, at Chuck's insistence, those who had won a special lottery organized by Orion Computers and Software. It was his way of rewarding the loyal and ever supportive fans of the game and now of the movie as well.

By now few people doubted that the boyfriend Sarah had mentioned in her interview to Amy was the man who was arm in arm with her on the red carpet. They had decided that they didn't have a problem with their relationship becoming public knowledge. After all, they both kept a low profile and any buzz, if at all, would die down after a couple of days. Tonight however, they were going to celebrate what had brought them together.

After the end credits rolled, Chuck and Sarah met up with Hartley and Graham at the theater's bar. The latter was enthusiastic. "I heard some of the critics talking," he gushed. "Reviews are going to be rave."

"With all the effort you put into making it so good, you deserve it," Chuck said.

"I can't take all the credit. Everyone, from you down to the last technician, helped."

"There's already talk of our movie being worthy of Academy Award nominations," Hartley informed them.

"How many?" Graham asked, interested.

"It's just scuttlebutt for now, but I heard best visual effects and best adapted screenplay mentioned by some respected critics. And, of course, best leading actress."

"Your first nomination!" Chuck told Sarah.

"Like Hartley said, it's too early to tell," she brought him crashing back to reality.

"Aw, c'mon! Your performance was sublime! I think the effort you put into the Valhalla scenes will not go unappreciated."

Amy managed to join them soon afterwards. "This truly _is_ this year's blockbuster. Sarah, you were amazing."

"Thank you," Sarah replied modestly.

"You'll also have to tell me where you got this dress."

"You like it?"

"Hell yes. It makes you look like a goddess. Not that you need help on the matter, anyway. You weren't a founding member of the CAT Squad for nothing, you know."

Chuck gave Sarah his 'I told you so' look. She merely stuck her tongue out at him. Truth be told, his reaction when she'd emerged from their room in her new dress had given her ego a massive boost. Also, she couldn't wait until they got home and he slipped it off of her for a well deserved, ahem, celebration.

-o-

Fortunately, over the next few months Sarah took jobs that didn't require much travel out of town. Therefore, she was able to be with Chuck as much as she wanted. One of the aforementioned jobs, which happened to be the one she'd loved the most, was a guest appearance in a TV show. It had been special because her father had made a guest appearance in it as well, reprising the role of Jack Burton, the very role that had given him a lot of his fame and fortune in the first place. Her other favorite job had been doing voice for a character in Chuck's latest computer game.

It was the middle of the night when Sarah woke up after hearing a slight commotion in the courtyard. She looked out the window and saw Devon running to his car. Even fogged by sleep, her mind was sharp as ever and she realized what it was all about.

"Chuck," she nudged her sleeping boyfriend awake. "CHUCK!"

"Huh?"

"Get up."

"Where's the fire?" Chuck mumbled sleepily.

"There's no fire."

"Then I'm going back to sleep."

"No you're not. Get up and get dressed." Just to emphasize the point, she jumped out of bed and started getting dressed. "We're going to Westside Medical."

He bolted upright, alarmed. "Are you OK?"

She smiled at his concern. "I'm fine, Chuck. You, on the other hand, are about to become an uncle."

"Um, excuse me?"

"I just saw Devon hurrying to get the car, which can mean only one thing: Ellie's water broke."

"I'll call Mom and Dad." The news galvanized Chuck into action.

"Nah, in all probability they'll have called them already."

Clara Woodcomb had apparently been quite eager to enter the world, for Ellie's labor did not last long. The baby immediately became the center of attention for her parents and the entire extended family. After staying with Ellie, Devon and Clara a bit longer than the others, Chuck found Sarah sitting in the waiting room of the maternity ward.

"She's beautiful," she told him when he sat down next to her.

"Yes she is. I'm pretty stoked about it, too. It's the first time I've ever become an uncle."

"I know the feeling. My cousin and I were always close, so when Molly was born I was just as ecstatic as her parents."

"Sarah," Chuck said, turning serious yet hopeful. "We've been living together for almost a year now… I love you and you love me. This is probably the last place you'd expect me to say what I'm about to say… Hell, I had other plans, big plans, about this moment, too. But I'm going to go with my heart." He got up and knelt before her. "I already asked for and received your parents' permission for this. Sarah Lisa Walker, will you marry me?"

It had been a long time since Sarah Walker had been rendered speechless. Right now, the sight of the ring Chuck had produced seemingly out of nowhere had robbed her of the ability to form a coherent sentence. "I… Chuck, this is… I mean… wow." She looked at him and saw the love in his eyes, which she was used to seeing on a most regular basis, but tonight it was a bit different. "Yes," she finally managed to stammer. "Yes, Chuck, I will marry you."

"You just made the happiest man in the world even happier."

"Oh Chuck, you are such a sap sometimes…"

"Too cliché?"

"But it's one of the reasons I love you so much."

With that, he got up, cupped her cheeks in his hands and kissed her. "Let's go tell Ellie the good news."

"Are you trying to get her and Clara booted out of here? You know how enthusiastically she'll react."

"It's where she normally works, Sarah. She can keep it down."

"For your sake, I hope so. Otherwise, you'll be in deep shi… um, hot water with your sister and me as well."

"Glad to see you're already moderating your speech."

"We are in a maternity ward," she reminded him. "Hey, maybe I can improvise and use the line in a movie or something."

"Yes, maybe you should," he laughed. It did sound like a good idea. They went back to Ellie's room. She was in there with Devon, Stephen, Mary and of course little Clara.

Hey," she said brightly. She was exhausted from the effort of getting the baby out of her, but happy to be holding her daughter in her arms.

"Hi again," Sarah said.

"How's my little niece doing?" Chuck asked.

"She's been fed and now she's asleep."

"And soon she'll be Sarah's little niece, too."

Instead of the squeal one would normally expect, Ellie let out barely a squeak. "You proposed!"

"And I said yes," Sarah confirmed, showing them the ring on her finger.

"Aces. You two are Aces," Stephen told them while hugging them. Mary looked incredibly happy and Ellie had always wanted a sister, and Chuck was now giving her one in the form of Sarah.

-o-

"He proposed?" Amy asked. She was visiting Sarah on the set of a new TV show. Sarah had accepted a leading part in it, as it paid well, she loved the script and, more importantly, it allowed her to stay in LA.

"Yes."

"Where's the ring?"

Sarah took Amy to the privacy of her dressing room. She reached into her purse and showed her friend the ring. "I had to take it off for filming, but I always put it back on at the end of the day."

"It's beautiful. Have you found a wedding dress yet?"

"Frankly, I didn't have the time for it yet."

"Come on. Let's raid the studio wardrobe. There are bound to be wedding dresses there. At the very least, we can find the best style for you."

"Now, that's an idea," Sarah agreed. The two friends sifted through several dresses, with Sarah trying them on, one after the other. Their reaction to a number of them was hilarious, as they found them too ostentatious, too skimpy, or too ugly. "I think this one is better," Sarah finally said.

"I agree. You look great in it."

Sarah stood in front of the mirror. "I like it. I'll talk to the property master about taking it home."

"Um, Sarah?"

"What?"

"I don't think this is a good idea. Look at the back."

"Dammit!" The back of the dress had a few holes in it, not to mention some fake blood. "Well, I can always get an identical one, I guess."

"Look for the label. It should have the name of the bridal shop on it."

"I will, as soon as I take it off." Just in case, she called Ellie and sent her a picture of herself wearing the dress, asking for her opinion. Ellie agreed it was an excellent choice.

-o-

"And by the power vested in me by the State of California, I now pronounce you man and wife. Charles, you may kiss the bride."

Chuck pulled Sarah in his arms, dipped her and kissed her soundly to the applause and cheering of the assembled guests. The wedding was a small private ceremony, attended by the happy couple's families and closest friends.

After the customary pictures were taken, Chuck and Sarah Bartowski stood back and watched as the others interacted. Then Sarah felt someone pulling at her wedding dress. It was Molly. "Yes, sweetie?"

"Auntie Sarah, is Chuck now my uncle?"

"Yes darling, you have new uncles and aunties as of today."

"YAY!"

"You also have a new cousin: Clara," Chuck told her.

"I didn't forget Clara," Sarah said. "I was getting to it."

"I know."

Zondra and Carina had been talking to Hartley's daughter, who had co-starred with Sarah in the Golden Scorpion. Then, the three of them walked over to the newlyweds.

"I'm so proud of you, sis," Carina said.

"Thanks."

"Chucky's quite the catch."

"I recall you urging me to marry him after I stayed in his apartment for the first time… after I told you he cooks, remember?"

"At least you took my advice. It took you a while, but finally you came to your senses."

"Hold on," Chuck interrupted. "You told Sarah to marry me?"

"She said you can cook, after everything you'd done for her, so I said 'then marry him'. I could see how much she already liked you. Hell, even the blind could see it."

"My Dad talked about you two a few times," Vivian added her two cents. "He was suspecting that you were together and just hiding it. He learned the truth later, when your parents told him, Chuck."

"What are you guys going to do now?" Zondra asked.

"Chuck had a great idea. We're going to Europe for our honeymoon."

"Yes, the first destination is Paris, then Zurich, then Milan and then we'll see where else we might want to go."

"Where's Amy?" Sarah asked.

"She's over there, taking notes," Carina replied.

"Notes?"

"She'll tell you about it herself."

"Sarah, listen to this," Amy said, approaching them. "Sarah Walker married computer designer, software creator and senior Orion Computers executive Charles Bartowski in a small private ceremony today," she read from her notes. "I'll embellish it a little more, but you get the idea. It'll be mostly a statement of fact than a full report. Do I have your approval to send it to the magazine website?"

"Yes you do," Sarah said, after getting an affirmative nod from her husband.

"Ah, there you are, kids." Emma and Mary showed up virtually out of the blue and corralled their children. "It's time for the reception. Come on."

-o-

Chuck and Sarah were in a compartment of a luxurious antique train taking the scenic route from Paris to Zurich. Of course, antique did not necessarily mean lack of certain modern comforts, such as full wi-fi coverage. But for the moment they were content to cuddle in their bed, not having left the compartment for a couple of days, as befitting a newlywed couple.

Finally, Chuck sat up. "Would you like some ice cream, honey?"

"I'd kill for some, lover."

He smiled. "I'll be right back."

She picked up an Orion laptop. "I'll check my emails in the meantime."

"Don't forget to send the others the pictures we took."

"OK, thanks for reminding me." As soon as he left, she logged in and began reading her new emails. One in particular piqued her curiosity. By the time Chuck got back, she'd read it and also emailed photos of their honeymoon trip to their families and friends. He fed her a spoonful of ice cream. "Mmmm, delicious," she purred.

"Anything interesting? About the emails, I mean."

"Yes. Kathleen sent me a new job offer."

"Looks like you're much in demand with Hollywood producers."

"It feels good to be appreciated," she replied modestly.

"Tell me all about it."

"One of Kathleen's friends, who is a screenwriter and also directs her films, came up with a new idea and wants me to play the lead. And I like the whole concept. It's about a young witch in the Dark Ages, who uses her powers for good but still manages to get on the bad side of a ruthless inquisitor."

"So, does she end up at the stake?"

"No, she finds an ancient book of spells and casts one to escape. But something goes wrong and she ends up in modern day LA."

"Sounds like a pretty good idea. In fact, I wish I'd thought of it first and made a game out of it. Is it a comedy?"

"It's an adventure comedy with some romance thrown in for good measure, according to Kathleen. I'm tempted to accept, because I've watched some of Sydney Prince's films and I liked them. Besides, it'll be a nice break from all the tough gal roles I've been playing."

"Then take it."

"I will. Kathleen also mentioned that Prince wants a European actor to play the inquisitor. I forgot to mention that most of the actors will be playing two parts in the movie: the medieval characters and their modern counterparts. For example, the witch will meet a professor of history who just so happens to be a dead ringer for the inquisitor."

"Did Kathleen say who they are considering for the part?"

"It's one Juan Diego Arnauldo."

"I've heard of the guy. He's worked both in Spain and France. He's good, too."

"The consensus is that the movie has good prospects."

"I hope they'll do the visual effects with Orion products."

"Me too," Sarah agreed. "Enough talking about work. I'll just email Kathleen to accept the offer on my behalf and then we can get back to our honeymoon."

"Aren't you glad we didn't elope, like you suggested?"

"Actually, I am," she said brightly. "Thanks for helping put my fears to rest."

"Besides, your Mom, my Mom, Ellie and Carina would have skinned you alive had we gone through with your idea."

"They most likely would have," she agreed after thinking it over.

"Should we check out the dining car in the morning? I think the conductor is sick and tired of bringing us all our meals here."

"I could use a change of scenery… temporary, of course. Oh, and I suggest you shave in the morning, too. I don't mind a bit of stubble, but by tomorrow your face will feel like sandpaper to me."

"Your wish is my command, Mrs. Bartowski."

"Good. Now, let's find the best places to go to when we reach Zurich while finishing our ice cream."

-o-

Zurich had been fantastic. Chuck and Sarah had gone on a souvenir shopping spree, buying lots and lots of stuff including cuckoo clocks and an assortment of Swiss chocolates. Sending them home wasn't a problem. Mary Bartowski had flown in to meet some high end business contacts and they'd simply loaded the boxes into the Orion executive jet. After Zurich, they went to Milan. When they learned of it, Jack Walker and Kathleen insisted on Sarah going to a couple of fashion shows, as it would be good publicity. She was hesitant, considering it was her honeymoon, but Chuck thought it was a good idea. And he didn't mind, either.

"Well, Chuck, did you enjoy the show?"

"Honestly?"

"Speak freely." She wasn't sure she'd like what she was going to hear, but she wanted to hear it anyway.

"Someone needs to buy some of these girls a sandwich… lots of sandwiches. Otherwise, I was imagining you in a lot of the outfits we saw tonight. And you'd have filled them a lot better than many of those models."

"Good answer," she said, knowing he'd been completely honest with her.

"Sarah?" The voice came from behind them and it belonged to a tall blond woman.

"Sofia!" Sarah exclaimed. "I thought I saw someone looking like you, but you had that hideous makeup on."

"Hideous is putting it mildly," Sofia said in her slightly accented English. "I wanted to take the idiot who had the idea on a plane and kick him out without a parachute."

"Sofia, I'd like you to meet my husband, Chuck Bartowski. Chuck, this is Sofia Stepanova, a supermodel and upstart but very good actress."

"Hi."

"Hi. Sarah's too kind. I only had a supporting role in Steel Furies. It was my debut in acting."

"You played Ilsa's crew chief, right?"

"You recognized me?"

"Hard not to. You were a natural as a grease monkey."

"I've been around machines a lot, ever since I can remember, in fact. My father is an engineer working at the tractor plant back home in Volgograd."

"The scene with the fight with Sarah for a bet was also memorable."

"Fortunately, we both made it through the scene without a scratch," Sofia laughed. "All the blood and bruises were makeup."

"Sofia, are you free tonight?" Sarah asked. "If you are, please join us for dinner. It's always nice to see a friend in a strange town."

"I'd be honored."

-o-

Like all good things, the honeymoon had to end sometime. They left Europe with memories they would cherish for the rest of their lives. One day, after a long day of hard work for both of them, Chuck putting the finishing touches on a new computer system and Sarah doing the last of her scenes for Sydney Prince's new film, the one about the witch, they decided to take a walk around Echo Park to clear their heads.

"Chuck, look!" Sarah said suddenly. "The house across the street from us is for sale."

"So?"

"I love houses with red doors and white picket fences."

"But we already have a place to live."

"It'll be too small very soon, Chuck."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I just found out today. I'm pregnant, ten weeks along. From what my doctor said, it must have happened on the train to Zurich. Luckily, I'm not showing yet."

He took her in his arms and held her like a precious china doll. "This is wonderful!"

"It gets better. We're having twins."

"Twins?" Chuck squeaked. Talk about a huge surprise. He was amazed that he hadn't passed out already.

Sarah's pregnancy hormones made her perversely enjoy seeing him freak out so massively. Then she decided to twist the proverbial knife a bit. "Why are _you_ freaking out?" She jabbed a finger in his chest. "I'm the one who's going to suffer through it all. By all rights I should banish you to the couch, effective immediately."

"No, not the couch," he almost begged. It was big, but not nearly enough for his tall frame. "I can stay in the guest room." He fervently hoped she'd reconsider.

"I'm kidding," she told him. "But we should look into buying the house."

"I'll make an appointment with the realtor first thing in the morning," he promised solemnly.

The house was perfect. They did the paperwork and paid the full amount, since they could easily afford it, especially after having agreed to split it fifty-fifty. Morgan moved into Chuck's old place. It was owned by Orion as part of their corporate housing and since Morgan was an executive it had been easy to arrange. On the day they signed the contract, Sarah took a knife and carved her and Chuck's names on the master bedroom door frame. And by the time she gave birth to a boy and a lovely little girl, they had transformed it into their dream house.

"Chuck?" Sarah said, after the babies had fallen asleep in the nursery.

"Yes honey?"

"Should we get a dog, too?"

"When they're a little older, we'll revisit the matter," he promised. She agreed and around the time the kids were taking their first steps they went to an animal shelter and adopted an adorable golden retriever puppy.

**THE END**

**P.S.:** As already stated, before any new story begins, I'll take a few days to go through some other Chuck fics I've wanted to read for quite some time, yet did not have the time to. See you all soon!


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